The DA Core
by Jucy Sam
Summary: Draco knew Hermione will never be his. Ginny knew it will be difficult for the boy-who-lived to love her back, but she is determined. Fate turns, and Draco joins the DA, Harry's love and life is at stake. Harry leads the DA in a magnificent manner, watch how they overthrow Umbridge and the war that looms at the year end. SEQUEL NOTICE: Chapter 29
1. End of another summer

**Author's note: **Welcome to The DA Core. I hope you enjoy the first chapter! You can expect an update every week. And don't forget to review after you're done. I enjoy reading what my readers have to say!

**Author note/ Brief summary: **Set in the fifth year. He fell for her since he saw her at the Yule Ball, but Draco knew Hermione will never be his. Ginny knew it will be difficult for the boy-who-lived to love her back, but she is determined. Neville is willing to do anything for Luna. Fate turns, and Draco joins the DA, Harry's love and life is at stake. Harry leads the DA in a magnificent manner, watch how they overthrow Umbridge and the warning war that looms at the year end.

**Pairing's: **Well just to be a bit clear, it goes like this:

Draco / Hermione (I know many of you don't like this, but I think you should give this pair a chance in this story)

Harry / Ginny

Neville / Luna

Ron / Lavender

**Disclaimer: **Well, I don't own Harry Potter, and I'm not happy about it. Haha!

**Chapter 1: ****End of another summer.**

A rather pale looking boy with perpetually untidy black hair stood looking out of the window into the dark, starless night. He was small and skinny for his age, or in Mrs Weasley's words, 'malnourished.' He had a thin face and knobby knees with round spectacles around his striking green eyes. He stood leaning against the thin frame of the window ignoring the noises and laughter coming from the dinner table behind him. It was the last day of the summer vacation and they were celebrating with a rather large feast with the entire Weasley clan and a few trustworthy aurors. A sad sigh escaped him but he did not move. He stood transfixed, determined not to look anywhere but outside. He was not sure if he could turn around and meet Sirius eyes.

Harry spent the entire dinner staring fixedly on his dinner plate. He did not make any attempts to start a conversation with anybody, he spoke little and talked only when someone else talked or asked him anything. He had to force himself not to look to his right where Sirius sat talking animatedly with Remus and Kingsley. He was not sure if could look at him without tears welling up in his beautiful green eyes. Harry was not an emotional person, but he never really had anyone in his life that genuinely cared about him before, not at least in a paternal way. And now that it was time for him to go back to Hogwarts again, he found it difficult to part with him; just the fear of losing him again sent shivers down his spine. When he was sure he couldn't get another piece of mince cake down his throat without getting everything out, he stood up and walked towards the window with anyone hardly noticing him.

He was not sure how long he stood there but his left leg felt a bit sore as he stood with this entire weight, weighing down on it. The appearance of a tall yet skinny shadow on the window brought him back from his reverie. He stood up straight, balancing his body weight equally of his legs. The laughter had quietened down to a low murmur with the occasional screeching sound of Pig. He turned slowly to his left and stopped mid-way when he realised who the reflection belonged to. His eyes darted back to the starless sky above.

"In a mood Harry?" he heard Sirius as he made his way to him. He could feel his light footsteps on the floor. Harry closed his eyes, momentarily savouring his godfather's voice. He shook his head, giving him a nonverbal no.

"You did not eat much." He was not a person with huge appetite. But he knew he ate even less than what he was usually fed at the Durselys.

"I wasn't hungry." That was true. Harry had particularly lost his appetite since the afternoon before when Ron had mentioned how much they were going to miss Sirius and his jokes. It was then that he realised how close the time was for his departure. Harry knew he took time for granted but then he regretted it too. He thought of thousands of thoughts, talks and memories that he wanted to share with him. But then, it was not possible now.

"You look worried." Sirius took a step towards Harry and his eyes flew open when he sensed his godfather moving towards him.

"I'm fine, really." He tried to convince, but he knew Sirius heard the crack in his voice.

He felt his godfather's hands stretching forward and before he could protest they were on either side of his shoulders. Sirius's fingers held Harry's shoulders firmly and turned him around to face him.

Harry's eyes shot up and met his godfather's eyes. They were hollow and empty. If his eyes hadn't been shining he might have been a corpse. That's what 12 years in Azkaban did to him, stole the twining of his eyes and the handsome smile which he rarely gave.

"Harry…" Harry did not let him finish. He suddenly felt the need to explain his behaviour.

"Sirius..it's just…I…I…that…" he stammered. He found it difficult to form a coherent sentence. He found no words that he could put in a sentence that would reflect what he wanted to say.

"I'll miss you too." Harry looked a bit startled. He didn't knew that even in his stammering his godfather and caught what he wanted but couldn't say. Words choked in Harry's throat and the rarest of Sirius's smile lit his face. Harry buried his face in his godfather's neck and a single tear ran down his cheek leaving a wet trail behind.

Sirius patted Harry's back in an affectionate way and held him tightly. Sirius knew how much Harry was affected, he was too. There was a part of him which wanted Harry to stop him from going to Hogwarts but he knew just how much dangerous that would be. Apparently, there was no place as safe as Hogwarts was, at least for him. It was better if Harry stayed close to Dumbledore.

His fingers grazed Harry's hair one last time and he took him by his shoulder again. Sirius looked down at his godson's petite figure and guilt washed over him. But he knew better than to control himself, it was not the time for blame and guilt. He forced a smile on his face and saw Harry returning it with a small twinkle in his eyes.

"Just be safe okay? And trust Dumbledore. You're in safe hands." He whispered convincing more to himself than Harry. Sirius was as scared for Harry's life as a child in a thunderstorm. But this time there was no child, just a helpless godfather fearing for his son's life.

Harry saw it all, the pain and grief that haunted the daylights out of his godfather. He knew he was scared for his life and between all these emotions he felt a small seed of happiness grow in his heart as he realised that someone else apart from him was scared for his life.

He squeezed Sirius's hand in response, as he suddenly realized he couldn't rust his voice anymore.

"Are you done? Both of you?" Mrs Weasley called out from the table.

She was looking at the silent conversation for a long time. And when she saw the unknown tears well up in Harry's eyes she knew she had to jump in then.

"You have to get some rest dear, you have to go tomorrow." She said as she made her way where the two of them stood.

"Yeah of course. You should go and sleep. Good night Harry." He said and kissed Harry's forehead lightly, in a fatherly manner.

Harry was far too lost to reply anything. He nodded mutely and murmured his good nights and hastily left the room knowing his legs weren't going to support him for long.

Ron was already fast asleep when Harry tiptoed in their bedroom. He didn't bother changing his clothes and slept fully dressed waiting for the sun to rise which was going to bring a new beginning.

-x-

**Well, that's the first chapter.**

**Did you like it? I hope you did!**

**Don't forget to review!**


	2. A new beginning

**Author's note:** Here's chapter two. They are all heading to Hogwarts. Hope you'll enjoy it! Oh! And no, I don't own Harry Potter!

Enjoy!

Harry woke up to the sound of people constantly running up and down the stairs. It was fairly loud though, taking into consideration the no of people currently living in this old house. A loud _bang _came from somewhere near Harry and he opened his eyes, a bit startled. Harry propelled himself on his elbows and looked in the direction of the noise, his vision slightly blurred. But he could make out the mass of red hair frantically moving here and there.

"Oh! Sorry Harry, I was just looking for my transfiguration text." Ron was practically running from one end of the room to the other dodging things on his way. Harry finally made to sit up on the bed. He was staring at the blurred form of Ron while his hand searched for his glasses on the bedside table. Having found them, he put them on, his vision sharping instantly.

Harry looked around; the whole room was a complete mess. Clothes were strewn across the floor, on Ron's bed and some on Harry's; textbooks lay across the bed, some hidden under the clothes; wrappers and chocolates were unceremoniously scattered in Ron's trunk and the table. Harry's expression grew more horrified as his head turned from the left side of the room to the right.

"Ron!" he shouted, jumping up from the bed. Ron startled, books falling on the ground with a loud _thump!_

"What have you done?" Harry said gesturing with his head to the mess he had made. Ron looked around, shocked he had made so much mess unknowingly.

"Oh sorry! I just panicked. I couldn't find my robes and then some of my books." he said still, looking around for his charms text.

"And you better hurry up; we are going to be late_, as usual_." He said the latter part with more force. It was true, every year on first September they had reached the station just minutes before the train started. _Hell!_ They had even missed it once, but it wasn't their fault!

"Hello. mate. Come back." Harry shook his head, coming back from his thoughts.

"Yeah right!" he said and took a few steps towards his bed when he stopped suddenly causing Ron to bump into him.

"What the hell mate?" he said and walked around to face Harry. Harry's face had drained of all colours. He was looking pale…pale as Malfoy! Worse thoughts shook Ron from head to foot. Harry was staring past him, looking pale as ever and he was not responding to any of Ron's frantic calls. Just when Ron was about to slap Harry on the back, did his head gave a slight jerk. He slowly faced Ron, but spoke nothing.

"What is it Harry? Is it your scar? Is it paining? Do you want me to call mum? Hermione?" Ron was going berserk with each passing moment.

"Ron…" Harry said, going paler by the second.

"Yeah mate? What happened?" Ron was getting impatient. He was worried. He hated seeing Harry in pain or trouble. Ever since You-know-who's rebirth last year, Harry had been in constant pain. His nightmares had taken a toll on his health; you could see the faint purple bags underneath his eyes. There were 'n' no of times when Ron had woken up to a screaming Harry. He just decided that it was the worst noise and feeling in the entire world.

Ron now grabbed Harry by the shoulders to shake him when Harry spoke, "I still haven't packed up my trunk." Ron had to strain his ears to listen. Just as the words made sense to him, his hands dropped from Harry's shoulders and whatever colour was remaining on Ron's face, drained. It was now past ten and both of them were yet to pack.

Harry slumped on his bed. "I just…I just thought I would pack up yesterday after dinner, but then…Shit!" Harry and Ron were last minute packers and always forgot something or the other behind which Mrs Weasley had to owl for three to four days continuously. So this time Mrs Weasley had taken up to screaming after the boys two days prior to 1st of September, making them to start packing. But they were _boys!_

Suddenly they heard heavy footsteps coming up the stairs and their eyes grew wider with every second. They both looked at each other, terror gripping them both tightly. Seriously, Mrs Weasley was not some woman you should anger. They both jumped as the noise got louder and grabbed whatever they could reach and dumped it in their respective trunks.

Harry's trunk was on the floor and he tossed whatever he could lay his hands on, not caring whether it was his or Ron's. Ron did the same. If his mother found out about their last minute packing, she was definitely going to hex them into pulps.

The noise stopped and both boys visibly relaxed. Ron's shoulders relaxed a bit and Harry let out a shaky breath. "Merlin's pants Harry!" Ron said, grinning at his best friend and depositing Harry's shirt in his trunk. "That was close." Harry said grinning back at him.

"Are you done boys?" Mrs Weasley opened the door suddenly and simultaneously both the grins on their faces were replaced with horror. Their eyes grew wide and both of them turned to her.

"Yeah…" Ron spluttered "We were just…"he looked helplessly at Harry. Harry took up the sign and continued. "Yeah, we were just figuring out where my black shirt was. It seems to have disappeared." He said and moved closer to Ron in a desperate attempt to hide the mess behind them which would give them away.

"Yeah mum…do you know where it is?" Ron was visibly shaking a bit but managed to cover up a fair amount of mess.

"Oh! Yes your black shirt. Sorry dear, I almost forgot. I washed it up last night. I'll send it right away." She grinned at Harry and walked away closing the door behind her.

Harry and Ron stood rooted on their spots, neither daring to move for a couple of seconds in case she returned. When finally there was no sound of footsteps they practically ran, filling up their trunks, jumping and dodging each other.

Harry took off his shirt while collecting some parchments and his ink bottle from his study table and dumped them into his trunk. Ron threw a shirt at Harry which he wore without complaining. The pants would have to do, he thought. Thank god he had the senses of not changing his clothes last night or else Harry Potter "The Boy Who Lived" would be arriving at Hogwarts in his pyjamas!

When they were sure nothing was left behind, they picked up their trunks and owl cages and ran down the stairs, Hedwig and Pig twittering and hooting loudly at them, visibly angry; their trunks were bouncing behind them with a loud thud threating to break open with every step they took. Finally they reached the bottom and both gave a huge sigh of relief and turned to grin sheepishly at each other.

"Last minute packing really drains you, doesn't it?" Hermione said dragging her trunk behind her and depositing it near Harry's. She was wearing a grey jersey tee with blue jeans and wedge sneakers. She had changed a lot over the years. Harry and Ron had seen her grow up from an 11 year old to this 15 year old that stood before them. Her hair were not as bushy as before, but had developed into small and beautiful curls which came up to her chest. She looked pretty and datable for a 15 year old.

"What are you talking about? We packed ages ago." Ron said puffing out his chest. Ron had grown a couple of inches over the summer and so had Harry but he was still an inch shorter than Ron. Harry nodded his head looking at Hermione.

"Really? Then why is Harry's shirt poking out of **your** trunk and Harry's trunk is looking like it will explode any minute?" She emphasized "your" in such a way that Ron cringed and Harry took a step back from her.

"Please don't tell mum." Ron whispered urgently looking around for any signs of his mum, his pride vanishing into thin air. Hermione frowned, "Why can't you boys pack decently and in time? Do you know how…?"

Harry beat her up to it. "Yeah Hermione we know and we are sorry." He was in no mood for early morning lectures. Hermione just fumed even more and walked in the opposite direction calling for Ginny.

Mrs Weasley came out of the kitchen murmuring something about dumb animagus and dogs. As if on cue a huge black dog leapt on Harry out of nowhere and barked in amazement. Ron yelped and was now standing leaning against the wall, panting.

"Really Sirius? You think no one will know?" Mrs Weasley asked who was looking furious. The dog just ignored her and walked towards the entrance dragging Harry with him.

Harry was glad Sirius wanted to come. But at the same he didn't wanted Sirius to land in any trouble. The ministry had already done a fantastic job of declaring him the most dangerous wizard after You-know-who. Harry was furious when he read the news in the Daily Prophet just weeks before school ended. He looked at the dog and an urge to cry filled him up. He knew if he didn't distract himself he would end up crying in front of the entire family.

"All ready?" Mad eye's growling voice ranged in the room as he appeared from the Order meeting room. Harry was not that fond of the former Defence Against the Dark Arts professor, if you could call him one. He looked as if his face was roughly carved from wood. Due to his injuries from his long career as an Auror, it was covered with scars, and a chunk of his nose was missing. He had dark grizzled hair and had a wooden leg which added to Harry's dislike of the man even more.

Behind Mad eye, Kingsley Shacklebolt walked in. He was still in his Auror robes and had a patient expression on his face which he wore all time. Behind Kingsley, a huge no. of order members appeared a determined look on their faces.

"Harry?" Remus walked towards him, pushing a couple of people on his way. "You'll be going with Kingsley."

"What? where?" Harry asked puzzled. He looked around at other people in the room, some he recognized, some he didn't.

"What he means boy, is that Kingsley and some of the Order members will accompany you to the station while others will go with me. Understood?" Mad eye was staring intently at Harry with his normal eye while the other was zooming around dangerously making a small buzzing like noise.

"Harry." Kingsley stepped forward and stood in front of Harry. "We are the Advance Guard, the people who will go to the station with you."

"Advance Guard?" Hermione asked, crookshanks lazing on her arm.

"It was Dumbledore's idea. The Advance Guard is Harry's guard." Remus stated slipping a hand over Kingsley shoulder.

"As in like bodyguards?" She looked at every one disbelievingly. That was completely ridiculous. She knew from all these years of experience that Harry was fairly good enough and capable of protecting himself and the people around him. He didn't need any guard to protect himself. She was sure Harry was going to give them a hard time accepting it.

"Similar." Aurther Weasley said from the far corner of the room where he stood with Mrs Weasley, her hand held tightly between his.

Harry's temper boiled. What was Dumbledore playing at? Harry wasn't a kid and he knew the consequences of one wrong decision or act on his part. But that thought did nothing to subsidize his anger towards the old man. He trusted Dumbledore with his life and expected the same in return. They had a long chat on the last day of Hogwarts in their fourth year about this 'trust' issue and Harry had fairly managed himself to convince that Dumbledore did trust him after all.

His temper was reaching the explosion point when Hermione noticed and so did everyone as they suddenly started grabbing their things and trunks and heading out towards the door not giving Harry a chance to voice his opinion about the Guard thing.

They reached Platform no. 9 ¾ with just five minutes to spare. Harry along with Kingsley and five other Order members arrived a minute later than everyone else.

"All clear." Kingsley whispered to Mad Eye who took Harry's trunk and limped towards the train. Harry was busy staring at Mad Eye's back that he almost got crushed by one of Mrs Weasley's hug. A smile slowly crept its way across Harry's face. This was one of the things he always looked forward to on the station.

Harry, Ron, Hermione and Ginny boarded the train as it started leaving the platform and turned to wave at a very weeping form of Mrs Weasley and a very happy looking dog at her side. It was the first time Sirius had come to see Harry off. Ever since Harry's birth James and Sirius had eagerly looked forward to seeing Harry off on the platform, ending up with bets on who would cry the most.

Harry stood on the door watching the now disappearing form of Sirius and the Weasley's. "He'll be alright, you know." Ginny raised her hand and touched Harry on the back in a comforting way. Harry smiled back at her. "It's just scares me sometimes." Harry turned back to look out the door. "Even me." She smiled and held Harry's graze.

Ginny was attractive. She had all the traits necessary of being a Weasley and she had at least one of all her brothers' qualities. She was a year younger but that hardly mattered to Harry. He had taken to fancy her since the Yule ball.

"We should find an empty compartment." Ron said as he walked, dragging his trunk with him. Finally after a full five minutes, they found one at the very end which was occupied by Neville and Luna.

"Hello guys." Neville greeted, looking up from his herbology magazine. They all greeted each other and started exchanging their summer stories.

They had their part of fun on the train; laughing, talking and pranking each other. They had engaged into fair amount of bets on who would-get-with-who and Quiddtch. They listed down a whole list of pranks to pull on Snape and in case of Ron as why-I-would-happily-dug-his-grave list. A couple of friends dropped in to say their greetings, Fred and George stopped by to play exploding snap, Lavender and Parvati came up to gossip about something with Hermione , Ginny and Luna which earned dirty look from the boys.

Little did this happy group of friends know how their life was going to change the minute they were to step into Hogwarts. Little did they know the magnitude of problem waiting for them at school.

The scenery zoomed past them at an extraordinary speed, like a movie being played at a super-fast speed. The time flew by before anyone could realize and the day was now covered in pitch black as Harry stared out into darkness.

-x-

That's the second one. Hope you'll enjoyed it.

Don't forget to review!


	3. The Speech

**Author's note: **Welcome to chapter three. Hope you'll enjoy this chapter as you did with the previous two. The speech in this chapter is roughly taken from the book with slight modification.

Enjoy! A lengthy chapter….oh! and mild language ahead, just a bit though!

A queue of frightened looking first years walked into the Great Hall, some looking content and some frightened and scared out of their wits. It would not take much to identify which belonged to the pureblood families and which were muggle borns, their facial expressions gave them away instantly. The sorting ceremony was fun to watch, if someone got into a particular house, then that house cheered the most, welcoming the new and scared children into their new family. The loudest cheers were heard from the Gryffindor table as a fairly large amount of students got sorted into this house. Harry had specifically missed the sorting ceremonies every year that he had been here, of course except his own. He decided it was actually fun to look at the dreaded faces of the younger students, since he had been one of them and surely the older students would have enjoyed it to some point and now simply it was his turn.

Harry's eyes swept over the head table after the sorting. He noticed the small and squat woman with grey, flyaway hair, wearing her regular patched battered hat. Professor Sprout always had a smile on her face but it had disappeared and Harry couldn't wonder why she didn't have that familiar glint in her eyes as well. Beside her was seated the matron-in-charge of the hospital wing, Poppy Pomfrey. Harry cringed back a bit as she met his gaze, only Harry would know how obsessive this woman was with her patients.

Harry quickly altered his gaze to the next professor before that insane nurse could come charging at him. Beside her sat another witch which Harry knew he she was never to be crossed with. Professor McGonagall was wearing her regular emerald green robes and a pointed hat cocked to one side. She was a rather severe-looking, sprightly seventy years old. She was talking rather animatedly with a Professor beside her. That is when Harry's gaze fell on the rather old and a tired looking Professor Dumbledore. He looked thin, much thinner than he had last seen him, just a couple of months ago. His beard was tucked into his belt as usual and his long and skilful fingers moved as he talked.

Suddenly as if he sensed Harry's gaze, Professor Dumbledore looked up. His eyes were the same as Harry remembered; brilliant, soul-piercing shade of blue that tinkled with kindness and mischief. He gave a small nod as a small gesture of his acknowledgement and resumed his talk with the Transfiguration teacher.

Harry signed sadly as he remembered what had happened last year. It truly tested his "trust" in Dumbledore. Harry always regarded Dumbledore as an insanely calm man but after seeing him interact with Barty Crouch Jr. Harry had pasted an invisible post-it note on the back of his head, 'Do anything but DO NOT anger the old man.' Harry couldn't help but agree that he was scared after seeing his Professor in rage when the Veritaserum had revealed Barty Crouch Jr. The rather calm looking Professor had transformed from a benign-looking bright eyed old man into a wizard who looked more terrifying than Lord Voldemort himself. Harry had witnessed another part of Dumbledore then, his face; a classic portrait of cold fury and an aura of power that made him seem as if he was giving off burning heat, his voice calm and pleasant, that's when Harry realized that he was actually furious. Harry had then understood why Dumbledore was the only wizard Voldemort had every feared and that people did not call him 'The Greatest Wizard of all Time' for no apparent reason.

"Where do you reckon Hagrid is?" Ron's worried voice came from somewhere near Harry. Harry tore his gaze from the old man and turned to stare at his best friend, seated across from him.

"We didn't see him at the station either." Ginny poured in on the conversation shifting a little closer to Harry. Their elbows touched and sparks flew inside Harry's stomach and he felt Ginny stiffen beside him.

"Lupin did mention something about top secretive Order mission right?" Harry voiced, worry etching on the borders of his voice as he looked back at the head table. He admitted the head table looked a little empty without a giant wall.

"It must have got something to do with giants, if you ask me." Ginny said, straining her neck a bit to look beyond Harry.

"What makes you say that?" Ron eyed his sister suspiciously.

"No, I did not manage to sneak into their meetings Ron, but isn't it pretty obvious? I mean, with Hagrid being sent away on an Order mission and all?" she looked directly at Harry now. Her warm gaze swept over him like waves crushing in an ocean shore and he blinked a couple of times to divert his gaze away from her.

Ron ignorant to all this as usual, turned to their only rescue. He shifted sideways in his seat to ask what Hermione thought of it when he saw her watching the head table with curiosity.

" 'Mione? What are you looking at?" he tried to follow her eyes but she looked back at them before he could find her source of attention.

Hermione glanced back at her friends and her chocolate brown eyes widened a bit when she saw the close proximity between Harry and Ginny. She raised her eyebrows to the suddenly oh-so-your-face-is-as-red-as-your-hair witch and eyed her suspiciously. Ginny just gave her a patient expression and Ron called for attention again. "What were you looking at?" Ron still couldn't find what interested her on the house table.

Hermione's eyes drifted back to the house table. "Who do you think she is?" she asked pointing her finger at the house table.

Everyone looked around to see where she was pointing. There, he saw her; a short squat woman whose face closely resembled a large pale toad. She had broad, flabby face, a wide, slack mouth and little neck. Her eyes were bulging as they swept across the Great Hall. She was wearing a pink twitched outfit with a pink fuzzy cardigan on top, which gave her greater toad like qualities.

When all the four of them had a good look at her they relaxed their necks and turned back to look at each other.

"What is she?" Ron questioned, and Ginny fell in silent howls of laughter. Seamus who was to her right rocked with laughter while Dean gave an amused look at Ron.

He turned a bit and patted Ron on the back. "Good one mate." Ron gave a small smile but his face was still masked with confusion. Harry knew her. She was there, there at his trail, he could never forget her; she had voted against him. Harry raised his right hand and massaged the back of his neck and whispered so only Ron, Hermione and Ginny could hear, "I know her. She's Umbridge. She was there at my trial. She works for Fudge."

Worry laced Hermione's delicate features, she stiffened a bit and worry lines appeared on her forehead. She turned back to look at the head table as Dumbledore stood to greet his children. He stood on his podium and spread his arms wide as an eagle's wings and acknowledged his students with a warm smile,

"Welcome to another year at Hogwarts! I have a few things to say to you all, and as none of them are as important as the delicious food so I'd say "Tuck in."

His speech earned a few laughs as the food appeared on the table in front of them. Ron as usual did not wait for anyone nor cared to show any manners as he dived head first into the delicious looking food. _He live to eat!_ Harry mused as he helped himself to some chicken.

-….-

He looked at her from where he sat; his face an expressionless mask. His body was held rigidly as if relaxing his posture would give him insufferable pain. His long pale fingers were snaked around his fork tightly as he watched her eat. His eyes were emotionless as usual with just a flicker of smirk in them. It lingered by her, like taunting her to lift her eyes and look at him. She did not of course, she had no apparent reason to, but he had. He had every reason in the world to look at her, to taunt her and make her feel uncomfortable as she made him under her gaze.

"Mate, stop playing with your food." A raspy voice came from his left. He tore his attention from her and looked at the boy sitting beside him. The boy was giving him a funny look as if he had forgotten to wear his pants.

"Stop giving me that look and mind your own fuck." His voice laced with arrogance and superiority. The boy shrugged his shoulders and returned to his plate.

His gaze went back to where it previously was; to her. He watched as she spoke to her friends and to a girl with disgusting red hair who sat opposite her. He watched as she gave a very interesting yet amused look to the younger girl as her eyebrows shot up. His features became even more irritated as her became even more pronounced, showing off every curve that angled her body and as if in response his body screamed off arrogance to the ones sitting beside him. Everyone around him knew he was in a foul mood and was better to let him be.

The only person who was unaffected by his arrogant posture and irritated features was his best friend who sat beside him. He knew who he was watching. It was happening to him since the Yule ball, when he saw her step into the Great Hall with Victor Krum. It was haunting him since then. He took a minute to carefully read his friend's face. It was masked as always and his posture was rigid, still and stiffened. His eyes did not quiver in the slightest and the scowl on his face became even more pronounced when she refused to look back at him.

"Seriously, mate?" he finally called out to him, not able to control his curiosity. "What?" he hissed back at him, eyes still fixed on the Gryffindor.

"You have been staring at her for the last ten minutes. Alter your eyes before anyone notices." He shifted a bit in his seat and altered his eyes from her and they came to rest upon his best friend.

"You should do something about it Draco." his best friend's lips hardly moved as he returned his gaze. A small arrogant laughter left Draco's mouth and his fork fell back on his plate with a light _'tinkling '_like sound.

When he spoke his voice was a whisper, a mere sound of hiss, "And what do you want me to do about it? Sweep her in my arms and damn the world?" His eyes pierced into his best friend's eyes burning holes in them.

A small smile crept on Blaise Zabini's face. "That would be worth watching." He popped a small piece of Treacle Tart into his mouth and watched Draco with mild interest before continuing, "I hardly think she'll approve though."

Draco rolled his eyes at his best friend and turned back to look at her. She was smiling and turned to playfully smack the red headed boy beside her.

"I think you should do something about it, _**before**_ somebody else does." Blaise said as he witnessed the playfulness of Hermione and Ron. Draco's head snapped up at his best friend. "She's good though. Pretty enough to date, perfect features…" Zabini's drawling voice made Draco wince in pain.

"She must be warm enough…" he stopped, as Draco glared at his best friend and fixed him with a murderous glare.

"I was kidding." He said, dropping his fork and raising his hands a bit to show his surrender. "You know I already have eyes on someone else." Blaise picked up his fork again and stabbed the Treacle Tart twice before eating it.

"You better have, or else you won't see anything." Draco's threat made Blaise inch away from Draco. "You have it bad don't you?" Blaise eyed Draco wearily.

Draco's shoulders slumped a little and his eyes found her again. She perfectly fitted into that picture frame. She fitted too well for his liking. His eyes softened a bit as he reached out to her relaxed posture. Her shoulders were drooped over her plate, the curls of her hair hanging around her face like a curtain, shielding her from her friends, and he could see her directly from where he was, yet the person sitting next to her couldn't.

Just as Draco' thoughts relaxed Ron grabbed Hermione's arm in a playful manner and touched it where his heart was. Her fingers sprawled against his chest and a bile rose in his throat. He tightened his hold on the fork not quite realizing that he was actually stabbing his food with gracelessness that had frightened the people around him. Every inch of her soft skin belonged to him, whether she liked it or not and he wanted to scream this into Weasley's face.

Rage, possessive rage filled him.

A hand had stopped him from stabbing his food and he looked down as the coldness of the hand registered with his body. He traced the arm back to its owner and his eyes locked with Blaise. He was the only one who had enough guts to approach an angry Draco. "I got your answer."

-….-

"Well, now that we have digested another magnificent feast, I beg a few minutes of your attention to the usual start of term notices." Dumbledore's voice boomed in the hall as the chatter died down. "Mr Filch, the caretaker, has asked me to tell you that the list of objects forbidden inside the castle has this year been extended to include Screaming yo-yo's, Fanged Frisbees and Ever Bashing Boomerangs. The full list comprises of some four hundred and thirty-seven items, I believe, and can be viewed in Mr Filch's office, if anybody would like to check it." he paused as he looked at the students before him.

"We have had two changes in staffing this year. We are very pleased to welcome back Professor Grubbly-Plank, who will be taking Care of Magical Creatures lessons; we are also delighted to introduce Professor Umbridge, our Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher."

A sound of unenthusiastic applause rang through the room. "As ever, I would like to remind you all that the Forest…."

A clear high pitched _Hem Hem _sounded somewhere from the Head table. Dumbledore paused as he looked at the now standing Dolores Umbridge who smiled rather pointed at Dumbledore. Professor McGonagall looked rather furious; no teacher had ever attempted to interrupt Dumbledore before.

Dumbledore sat down on his chair, silently gesturing the Professor to continue. Professor Umbridge's short figure walked to the centre of the podium. She smiled, giving another of her pointed looks and some students recoiled from her.

"Well, it definitely feels amazing to be back at Hogwarts." She spoke with a simpering, high-pitched voice that was girlish much to the horror of the students and she gave another of her fake smiles. "Oh! Look at all these wonderful little faces looking back at me." she flashed some of her pointed teeth. Some students looked around to see where she saw those little faces; others tried to stifle their smirks.

"The Ministry Of Magic, this year has taken the responsibility of your education into its own hand, to secure your upcoming future. The role of Ministry of Magic in you; young witches and wizard's life will be of vital importance. Hogwarts has been standing it's ground since centuries and has done a very good job in nurturing you with all the necessary qualities that the Ministry of Magic would be pleased to see in the upcoming generation of witches and wizards."

She paused for the effect of her speech. He small eyes darted to every soul in the Great hall before continuing.

"You all are born with a special gift, a gift which is rare and which muggles are deprived of for a reason. This gift of you must be put to use, otherwise which will lead to wastage of fine amount of skills. There even with progress…"

Harry's eyes drooped of its own accord; at least Dumbledore showed them mercy by letting them go and rest after a rather heavy feast. Harry looked around himself. Ginny was scratching something off from the table, Ron was discussing about Chudley Canons with Seamus and Dean who found it more interesting than the speech. Parvati and Lavender were busy gossiping and pointing fingers once in a while. The great hall was restless and yet this woman did not realise. A faint murmur could be heard from every part of the hall, even the teachers looked bored.

"….which is for you kids." Her dull voice was pushed away as Harry tried to concentrate a much blushing Ginny's face.

"What?"

"This is ridiculous..."

"Utter rubbish…"

"Hurt our pride..."

Fred and George's sudden outburst had managed to capture a few of Gryffindor's attention.

"Kids?"

"She must be kidding…"

"Because…"

"We resent…"

"Being called

"Kids…"

"We are…"

"Men…"

"With…"

"High dignity…"

"And respect." Both concluded looking rather mortified. A few giggles escaped the girls surrounding the boys while others continued to smirk rather aggressively at the teacher agreeing whole heartedly with the Weasley twins.

A sudden applause directed Harry's attention from the boys back to the headmaster. Umbridge was back to her seat looking quite angry.

"Thank you Professor for such an enlightening speech." Dumbledore stood up from his chair once again.

"I bet he did not listen." Ron said, turning his attention back to the headmaster. Others laughed around him, barely concealing their amusement.

"If I'm right, it's rather late and would be wise enough for you'll to retire to your beds. Good night."

The chatter rose to a high pitch as the students made to move out of the Great Hall to the much awaiting beds in their dorms. Hermione again failed to notice a pair of grey eyes following her as she followed her friends out of the Great Hall.

-xxx-

Finally, I'm done with chapter three.

It was lengthy, I agree.

Hope you'll enjoyed and don't forget to review.


	4. Fury

**Author's note: **Here's chapter four!

Thank you horselovr171, midnightangel86, x-FireEmpress-x, o-WinterQueen-o, bensdad and Dolphelecat for your reviews. Hope you'll enjoy this chapter as well!

Looking forward to your reviews on this one!

**NOTE: **One week into the school term.

Harry staggered into the Gryffindor common room, swaying dangerously. His left hand was covered in a small cloth which was drenched in blood, turning the white thing into blood red. Hermione gave a little shriek as she saw Harry entering the common room. Ron rushed to Harry's side in an instant and helped him in the couch near the fireplace. Small beads of sweat were clinging to Ron's forehead as he saw Harry panting heavily.

"Harry, are you all right?" No, of course he wasn't. Hermione knew that but she just wanted that reassuring thought from Harry. She was furious, it was just a week back to school and the toad of a woman had already started hunting down students; her main target: Harry.

She collected Harry's hands in hers and slowly undid the cloth. Hermione's fingers trembled as she took the cloth away from the wound and gasped loudly.

_I must not tell lies._

The words shone brightly in front of her. Tears streaked down her cheeks. Ron was visibly shaking with fury. When they had first learnt of this; Dean and Seamus had to hold back a very violent Ron who wanted to murder the toad.

"Ron, quick, get the balm which I made yesterday. It must be on Harry's bedside table." Ron did not wait to nod, turning he sprinted towards the boys dormitory. Hermione was still crying by the time Ron came back with a small bowl of yellow paste in his hands. Hermione stretched her hand and held the bowl in her shaking fingers. With a quick nod to Harry she slowly rubbed the yellow paste on the wound. Harry winced and gasped as colour started returning to his face.

Finally, Harry gave a huge sigh and his erratic breathing returned to his regular pattern. "Bloody witch!" Ron swore loudly as he slumped beside Harry on the couch.

"This is getting dangerous Harry; you need to do something about it." Hermione wanted to scream and shout at Harry for ignoring this. This was dangerous, using a blood quill on students? What was Umbridge playing at? Hermione wanted to run and rock some sense into the toad woman but it was Harry who was holding her back.

"It's not much we can do." Harry's voice was a whisper and he looked shakily at Hermione and then at Ron.

"Yes you can. Tell Dumbledore." Hermione felt like running to him this instant. She knew better than to do that, but she wanted Harry to tell someone, anyone who would listen and take action against the mental woman.

"No." Harry's sharp voice cut the train of her thoughts. "He already has a lot on his plate. I can't run to him every time I have a problem Hermione. He runs a school not any Harry's-problem-solving institution."

He leaned his head back on the couch and closed his eyes. Hermione and Ron looked at each other, uncertainty evident on their faces.

"It's not as easy as it looks like." Harry opened his eyes and saw his two best friends staring back at him with worried eyes. "There's something more to it. Something bigger."

Ron looked uncertainly between Harry and Hermione. Hermione's face was impassive while Harry's reflected a lot of emotions, pain not being one of them. "What are you suggesting, mate?" Ron asked when he was sure Hermione wouldn't.

Harry straightened a bit in his seat. "There must be some reason for her to be here. Dumbledore's not that incompetent enough not to find a teacher. I mean look at it, he could have found someone, like Lockhart or anyone you know. But no, the Ministry decided to intervene and they sent Umbridge who has a stack of orthodox believes and my scar hurts pretty badly when I'm in her proximity."

Hermione turned her face to look at the fireplace which dimly lit the room. The machines in her brain were running at top speed. Harry had a point. When Dumbledore could have found another teacher why did the Ministry interfere? Ministry was allowed to appoint a teacher of their choice only when the headmaster could not find any other competent staff. Hermione was pretty sure there were hundreds of people who could have suited well for the job.

She turned back to face Harry and Ron. Harry was staring at her while Ron had his face glued to the poster beyond the fireplace. "But we have no clue what is going on. It's obvious with You-know-who's return things were going to get pretty bad. But we don't even know if she's in league with him or not." She stopped to inhale some air. She realized she had been breathing in only small volumes.

"But still Harry, we are not sure. It wouldn't be a wise option to run on conclusions without enough evidence. As of now, you should try and steer clear of her path." Hermione knew it wasn't a solution but that would have to do for the moment especially when they had no clue what was going on around them. They had no clue who was on their side and who wasn't, who were playing which games and who were trying to protect.

"Just stay out of her way Harry, please." Hermione couldn't think anymore. The danger was evident, they could sense it, times were getting harder and it would be wise and safe for them to stay clear for a couple of months.

-….-

It was a gloomy day. The Slytherin common room was empty as usual as it was in the early hours of the morning. Many students had already left for the breakfast. Draco sat on a chair near the window waiting for Zabini to appear from his dorm. He looked at the view that surrounded the school. The gloomy and damp day made him feel rather uncomfortable. He straightened a bit in his chair as he heard footsteps coming down from the boys dormitory.

"What took you long?" Draco got up from his place near the window and stood in front of his best friend. "Goyle was being an arse as usual." Draco snorted and turned to the door which led them into the long corridor of the dungeons, his best friend following his lead.

"Eager aren't we today?" Zabini eyed Draco sceptically. Draco decided to ignore him and quickened his pace to the Great Hall. "Hmm…I see. The Gryffindor princess is hardly going to go under a lot of changes in one night's span Malfoy, slow down."

A low growl escaped Draco but he dropped his quick pace nonetheless. "What have you got to do with it? It's none of your concern."

Blaise arched his eyebrow. "On the contrary, I think this has everything to do with me." his words slow and deliberate.

Draco frowned. "How?"

"You are my best friend so that automatically means your problems-

"Yes I know." Draco didn't let him finish. "Some best friend philosophy which Nott has carved into your skull."

"I carved what into Blaise?" Theodore Nott appeared from behind them, his pace now matching with Zabini and Malfoy.

"Bullshit." Draco retorted. Blaise and Theo managed to give Draco a similar smirk and Draco frowned at them even more.

The three boys reached the Great hall and made their way to the usual Slytherin seats which they occupied in the middle of the table. Draco preferred to seat between the two boys as it gave him the clearest view of Hermione from where they sat.

She was there today before him. Normally, he would be the one to enter the Great Hall before her and leave after her. She was seated as usual; between her two body guards. The close proximity of their body made Draco twitch slightly.

"Looks like someone else was eager too." Theo snickered while Blaise gave him an amused look.

She looked the same today, with her long mane of hair, her brown eyes bright with secrets and her face masked with intelligence. Draco was willing to give up his fortune just know what she thought about so much all the time.

He glanced at her _so called _best friends. Potter looked a little dishevelled, his hair sticking out in every way possible. _Disgusting. _A white bandage covered a small part of his left hand and he seemed to wince in pain every time he attempted to touch anything with it. Draco's eyes then shifted to her other side. _Ah! The pathetic Weasley._ Draco still didn't understand why Hermione wanted to hang around someone like Weasley. He had nothing to give her except a grin which was pathetic as hell.

Just then Harry attempted to touch his Pumpkin Juice with his left hand and he winced loudly enough for Hermione to notice. She immediately went from her calm posture to a panicked one. She held his hands between hers and started rubbing her fingers gently and smoothly over the white bandage, muttering soothing words.

Something inside Draco stirred and his body stiffed in response. Blaise and Theo who saw this were trying to get Draco out of the Great Hall before he marched up to them and punch Potter. They knew how possessively dark Draco was when it came to Hermione.

After much pleading and a promise of revenge on Potter and Weasley, Draco left the Great hall with Blaise and Theo trailing behind him.

-…...-

It was in Arithmancy that Hermione noticed Draco's strange behaviour. Not many people took the subject as it required more brain cells and Draco was definitely with some more. Most of the other students were from Ravenclaw. In all 7 students took Arithmancy; four from Ravenclaw, one from Hufflepuff, one Slytherin and one Gryffindor.

Professor Vector was a fine woman with lenient features and mostly left the students alone; mostly because the problems were so difficult that the students were left to fend for themselves the majority of the time.

Hermione was leaning over her parchment, occasionally scratching her end tip of the quill on her forehead. After a couple of minutes of full concentration she felt someone's eyes on her. She tried her best to ignore it but when she felt it was dragging holes near her temple, she looked up. There, Draco Malfoy sat two seats away from her, openly staring at her with what Hermione guessed fury in his eyes. Hermione visibly flinched away from him. The fury directed to her was so strong, like it physically radiated off him. Hermione felt her heartbeat increasing at a dangerous rate and her hands absently gripped the table tightly, her knuckles turning white from the pressure.

She looked down at her parchment immediately. Her handwriting was unsteady near the end where she had stopped to look up at Malfoy. Thoughts were running at top speed in her head. She couldn't think properly. The hate that radiated off him was enough to knock someone off their ground. She took huge volumes of air and tried to control her heartbeat. Finally calmed, she thought about what could have possibly set Malfoy off. As far as she remembered she hadn't done or commented anything to anger him. She couldn't risk taking a peek at him again.

In normal situations she knew how to deal with Malfoy and his 'mudblood' comments, but today it was different. It was not his 'mudblood' hate glare; it was different, something very different. His eyes were dark grey with hate and rage. She wanted to run from his piercing gaze as he continued looking at her from his seat. She couldn't bear it. His gaze was accusatory; like she had stripped him naked in front of the entire Great Hall and now he blamed her for his humiliation, like he was insulted by her.

As soon as Professor Vector ended the class, Hermione shot from her seat like a bullet and ran from the class without a backward glance. She was not one of the people who got easily scared or intimidated; she was fierce and bold; being with Harry Potter for the last four years had made her strong from within, but the accusatory glare which Malfoy kept shooting her had troubled her. She did not stop when a Ravenclaw from her class called out to her. She kept running and stopped when she knew she had put some reasonable distance between them.

The whole day passed in a similar manner. He kept giving her his glare and made her squirm in her seat. Gryffindor lost five points in Potions because she kept fidgeting in her seat a lot. He glared at her in Care of Magical Creatures and in Defence against the Dark Arts. His glare kept getting stronger and stronger as the day past and Hermione kept getting uncomfortable and irritated. She wanted to storm at him and ask him what his problem was but the minute she gathered her courage and looked up at him; his glare ripped her of all the courage she had managed to gather. _Damn her Gryffindor courage!_

-…-

Harry, Ron and Hermione made their way to the Gryffindor table for lunch. They sat in their usual places with Harry on Hermione's right and Ron on the other side of the table with Seamus and Dean on his either side. Neville sat next to Dean while Ginny sat on Hermione's left. The Weasley twins were next to her. It was their usual arrangement; they were all good friends and knew each other quite well. Seamus, Dean, Harry, Ron and Neville shared a dorm while Fred and George tested their new products on the five of them; Hermione usually was with Harry and Ron which made her a part of that group while Ginny was simply Hermione's only girl best friend.

So the eight Gryffindors were in the middle of their Quiddtch talk, except for Hermione, she hated flying so she was left with her thoughts as her only company. Her thoughts went to the only thing that was bothering her: Draco Malfoy. She wanted to punch him hard for making her think about him, for making her look like a complete idiot; at least he should have told her what she had done. But he didn't, he just kept glaring at her making her even more uncomfortable.

"'Mione…" Ginny called out to Hermione in a whisper so none of the boys could hear her. Ginny was in the middle of an argument between George and Seamus about the Irish team when she noticed Draco Malfoy throwing daggers at Hermione.

"Huh…yeah…what? I was thinking about something. What did you ask?" Hermione was jerked from her thoughts as she felt someone poking her with an elbow. She looked at Ginny and found her looking back at her with suspicious eyes.

Ginny let out a small breath of air as she repeated her question. "I asked why Draco Malfoy is staring at you like that." Ginny's voice was a whisper but worry was evident in it.

Hermione's eyes shot up and she found Draco Malfoy looking at her the same way he had the entire day. She tried reading his eyes; to see if he was giving away something. But his eyes were shielded was usual. His face was expressionless and his posture rigid and stiff as if he was ready to pounce on the next person who dared cross his path. Hermione shook a bit in her seat and dropped her gaze when she was sure he wasn't going to show any mercy. She turned back to look at Ginny when a small scream on her right diverted her attention.

Harry's fork had somehow managed to slip from his fingers and poked him right on the wound. His eyes were watery as he tried to control the pain. All thoughts which kept worrying Hermione were lost the minute she heard Harry. A small red spot was starting to become visible on the white bandage. A few people stopped to stare at them, but Ron and Dean shooed them away. Hermione took Harry's hands in hers again and slowly undid the bandage. Ginny was now standing behind Harry and was rubbing small circles of his back while Fred, George, Dean, Seamus and Neville tried to shield Harry from the people surrounding them.

Hermione slowly redid the bandage after putting on some cleaning and basic healing spells which would stop the bleeding for the time being. Everyone relaxed in their seats as Harry regained some of his lost control.

"Hear, drink this mate." Dean pushed a glass of pumpkin juice towards Harry which he willingly accepted.

"Thanks." Harry said, a little breathless. Dean gave him an appreciative nod and returned to their previous argument about the Irish.

Hermione let out a small breath as she saw Harry relax. His wound was still fresh and it was going to take another week for it to settle down. Hermione was thinking of different ways in which she could manage to keep Harry out of Umbridge's way when her eyes found his again. Draco Malfoy looked at Hermione with even more hatred, if that was even possible. He was visible shaking with fury. He got up and stormed away from the Great hall without a backward glance at her.

Tears welled up in Hermione's eyes, unknowingly. No one in her entire life had glared at her with such fury. She got up and collected her books in a hurry. Eight pairs of eyes looked at her with confusion. "Library." She muttered and half ran from the Great Hall.

"What happened to her?" Neville asked as he strained his neck to watch Hermione leaving in hurry.

"Maybe she's upset" Ron said as he turned to look at Harry.

"But why?" Fred asked, "She seemed okay for a while."

"She must be a bit upset." Ginny joined in the discussion. "What makes you say that?" Seamus looked at Ginny and back at everyone else.

She knew it had something to do with Draco Malfoy, but she thought better than to tell the boys. She didn't think Draco Malfoy would survive if the whole cavalry marched up to him unannounced; even magic wouldn't save the poor boy.

"About what happened with Harry. She's just a bit upset with it." she lied plainly, without a hit of regret. It was necessary.

Harry let out a small 'oh'. "I'll talk to her, don't worry." Ginny then turned back to her plate without meeting anyone's eyes.

-…-

Hermione ran all the way to the library without halting anywhere. She stopped when she reached the library doors. She stood there and tried to control her erratic breathing. She combed her fingers through her hair and pushed open the doors. A familiar scent of books and silence washed over her and she felt a little peace. The library was almost empty as it was the lunch hour except for some six or seven students who lingered near the tables adjacent to the huge windows.

She walked in gracefully and with confidence as she normally did. She gave a small nod to Madam Pince who returned it with a small smile. Hermione made her way to her usual table at the far end of the library. Her table was a little secluded and covered her presence with huge bookshelves. So if anyone had to see her they would have to make their way to the far end.

Hermione dumped her bag near the foot of her chair and slumped down on her chair. She folded her hands on the table and rested her chin on them, her thoughts circling around Draco Malfoy. When she realised she had spent fifteen minutes thinking about her enemy, she felt disgusted. She quickly opened her bag and took out her Potions book and parchment. She stood from her chair and walked to the bookshelf directly behind her to look for some additional information on Invigoration Draught.

Her fingers scanned the various titles of the books on Potions; she wasn't sure which one of them would have the exact kind of information she was looking for. The names of various authors and books skipped past her delicate fingers, she was so engrossed in her own thoughts that she missed the arrival of a presence behind her. The figure lingered near the entrance for a while before making his way towards her. He stretched his hand and reached for the still unknown Hermione who had no clue that someone was standing directly behind her.

-xxxx-

That's it for this chapter. I know I'm leaving you'll hanging, but c'mon you'll are smart. You have figured out who that person is!

**Note:** Invigoration Draught is a potion which presumably boots the drinker's energy!

Hope you'll have enjoyed the chapter!

Don't forget to review!


	5. Signs of danger

**Author's note: **Chapter five everyone. Enjoy it like always.

Hermione let a small yelp as long, pale fingers snaked around her small wrist. She knew who the fingers belonged to. Draco Malfoy pressed his body lightly against her. She felt his breath near her ear, her back touching his chest. He turned her abruptly and lightly slammed her against the bookshelf. His 5'9'' body hovered above her 5'3''. He looked down at her, the fury still in his eyes. He dropped her wrist and kept his hands on the either side of her head against the bookshelf. She was trapped in his arms and her wand was in her bag while his was poking out from his left pocket.

Hermione broke the eye contact and looked around her. She wanted to run away from him, but she knew how well she was trapped. She looked at her left, her mind calculating the time she would need if she pushed him and made a mad dash towards the main part of the library.

"Don't even think of it" his voice was cold and angry, "I'll just drag you back."

Hermione reluctantly looked back at him, her eyes trying to search the reason for his behaviour. He did not give her any. He was expert in hiding his emotions and thoughts. His face was stripped of all expressions and emotions, but he couldn't help the fury and anger in his eyes which he saw reflected in her brown ones. _She deserves it, _he thought and leaned into her; pressing her tightly against the wall, his body touching her small frame lightly. He wanted to make sure she didn't escape, being the smart witch that she was and a bloody Gryffindor he didn't want to risk her escape. He had looked for this chance of cornering her the entire day.

"What do you want?" Hermione choked out. She wanted answers and knowing Draco Malfoy he wasn't going to give her any, but she had to try.

"Why don't you tell me?" she hadn't expected that. She couldn't think of any way in which she could have offended him. She had even stopped attacking him with her swear words when she talked to Ginny about him and quite corruptive ones they were. She was pretty sure there was no way in which he would have known, or did he?

"I have no clue what you are talking about." That was true. She had no idea what he was playing at.

He gave her his trademark smirk and whispered, "Yes you do. Stop playing with me."

She racked her brain for anything, anything she had done or said, but she couldn't find anything. He had stopped offending her since the beginning of the year and she had given up on him too, not that it bothered her in anyway. He still kept harassing Harry and provoking Ron into doing something but he never made a verbal attack on her, not anymore.

She slowly shook her head, giving him a non-verbal no. But that seemed to anger him even more. He leaned in again and whispered in her ear, "Stop tormenting me Hermione, it's not funny anymore."

He leaned back and observed her, she was in shock would be an understatement. Her face was pale and looked at him as if he came from a different planet and had just confessed he had supernatural powers. Torment? What did he mean by that? Hermione thought as she regained control of her thoughts again who had momentarily decided to leave her.

"I still have no clue." She said in a small voice. She didn't know why but she suddenly felt intimidated by him, maybe because she was wandless or because he suddenly appeared so strong to her, she had no idea.

He lowered his right hand from the wall to her arm and traced his way down to her fingers. His fingers snaked their way around her fingers and intertwined them, clutching her hand tightly in his. Hermione's hear skipped a beat. His fingers were long and covered her small hand entirely. His eyes never seemed to leave hers, like he was weighing her reaction. Her eyes grew wide; he noticed that when she felt his fingers brushing against her arm. He smirked even more.

"You seem to touch Potter a lot these days." Her eyes grew even wider, if that was even possible. Again he did not leave her eyes, he wanted to read the truth rather than hear it from her.

"No…" she half shouted, horrified from his accusation. He got his answer and his body somewhat relaxed but he still held her in place.

"It's not like…" she stopped as she realised something. "Why am I explaining it to you? Why do you suddenly care who I am touching." She looked genuinely shocked when she had shouted a no at him, like she desperately wanted to give him an explanation of her actions.

"Believe me Granger, I always cared." He backed off from her, his fingers leaving hers as he stormed off leaving her without a backward glance.

Hermione slumped into the cold floor below, shocked at Malfoy's intimate behaviour. Intimate? She cringed from the word. She hurriedly got up and half ran to her table and yanked her wand from her bag and clutched it tightly in her hands as if it was her most prized possession. She vowed she would never keep her wand in her bag again, she was sure she would have hexed him if she had her wand with her. But again she doubted herself, would she do that?

-…..-

Hermione packed her bag in a hurry and left the library in a daze. She walked and then ran half way to the Gryffindor tower suddenly afraid that Malfoy would pounce on her or drag her into an empty classroom.

She muttered the password, 'Oddsbodikins.' She wasn't even sure the Fat Lady really understood her password or let her in simply because she knew her. She stopped in front of the fireplace and Harry, Ron and Ginny turned to look at her.

"Why are you in such a hurry?" Ron asked as he looked away from his chess game.

Hermione stared dumbly at him, no excuse coming to her rescue. "I…uhh…I just lost my potions parchment, the one in which I wrote my homework. I was just panicked." Homework and study were the only excuses that Hermione would get over with without being interrogated. Just when she thought she had fooled them, her eyes fell on bright brown orbs looking suspiciously at her. Ah! Ginny Weasley suspected something, why was she so bloody good at such things? She was about to wave off Ron and Ginny when a hoarse voice distracted her.

_Cheater! Why you wanna cheat? Bloody cheater! _The pawn on Harry and Ron's chess board shouted at Harry.

Harry looked sheepishly at them and smiled a little. Ginny burst out laughing and Hermione was glad for the distraction.

"Merlin's pants Harry! You were trying to cheat? Trust the Boy-Who-Lived and murder the one who said that." Ron raised his eyebrows so high they got almost lost in his mass of red hair.

Harry leaned back in his chair and admitted in a small voice, "Well, you always win and I'm tired to loosing."

"But still cheating?" Ron's voice was loud and shocked.

Hermione tuned the boys out knowing they would be arguing for the entire night and majority of the day tomorrow. She turned towards her dormitory when Ginny got up, bid the boys good night and followed Hermione up to her dorm.

Ginny locked the dorm behind her, thankful that it was empty. Lavender and Parvati were the only ones staying with Hermione; and right now they would be in the far corner of the castle with Parvati's sister looking for gossip.

Ginny sat on Lavender's bed and held her stuffed lion in her hand and looked at Hermione. Hermione was busy arranging her books on the table to pay any attention to Ginny.

"So…" Ginny finally asked when she was sure Hermione wouldn't say anything and she would have to finally dig out information from her.

"So what?" Hermione turned and started making her already made bed.

"I noticed a rather peculiar thing today." Ginny was now eyeing Hermione with full concentration and Hermione fidgeted under her gaze.

"Uh huh!" Hermione now turned back to her desk, collected a few books and went on the opposite side of the room to dump them in her trunk. She was nervous and she kept biting her nails.

"Malfoy…" Ginny started and Hermione turned sharply at her. Ginny raised her eyebrows at her.

"What about Malfoy?" Hermione tried to sound casual but she knew her voice had betrayed her long ago.

"I was pretty sure he did something to you. The way he looked at you, I knew it. So should I wake up the cavalry and make them march towards the dungeons?" Ginny looked quite serious about the whole cavalry thing so Hermione spoke before she could run off to tell them.

"No. He didn't do anything." Hermione said quietly.

"I knew it. I just wanted to be sure of something, and now I am." Ginny relaxed and leaned against the wall, her comforting gaze still locked on Hermione.

"Then why…."

"Well I was going to say Malfoy tried provoking Ron into turning Professor Filtwick into a canary today in charms and that idiot brother of mine almost did, before you gave me a sign that something has definitely happened between you and Malfoy." Ginny said as she put the stuffed lion back at its place and walked over to Hermione.

"What?" Hermione shouted. "I'm going to kill Ron."

"But…" Ginny raised her voice on top of Hermione's to make herself hear.

"I think there is something else you wanted to say about Malfoy." She wiggled her eyebrows at her and Hermione knew she wouldn't win this one. So she sat on her bed, Ginny followed her, sitting cross legged opposite her. Hermione retold what had happened, blushing with every word she spoke.

After five minutes, Hermione was red as a beetroot and Ginny was openly gaping at Hermione in an ungirlish way.

"I don't know what he meant by that. Stupid git." Hermione looked expectantly at Ginny, thinking she might have an answer for her, knowing Ginny she should have one. She hated Malfoy more than ever now, he had forced her to think about him and this made her hate him even more.

"He likes you." Ginny said quietly after a full minute's silence. She locked her gaze with Hermione, her brown orbs wide as saucers.

Hermione felt dizzy. Malfoy? Fell for her? The idea itself was laughable. Everyone knew just how much he hated the oh-so-brilliant-mudblood. His thoughts on pureblood and muggle borns were famous in the entire school. She was never interested in such bullshit but she couldn't help the hurt she felt when she overheard some lengthy lies which he had managed to pass around at school.

But the way he had behaved today did not justify his behaviour as an enemy. An enemy is supposed to loathe your very presence let alone touch your body. Malfoy had stood painfully close to her; she had felt his heartbeat clearly as if it were coming from her. And he did behave quite odd these days, even his cronies had topped harassing her.

Malfoy? Seriously? It was hard to believe. But the way he looked at her today, in the classes and then in the library. Arg! She felt frustrated. Why does he have to be so damn confusing? Couldn't he be just like any other normal teenager? But when was Malfoy ever normal?

"I think it's something else." Hermione finally concluded.

"Uh huh." Ginny was deep in thought when she replied. She had noticed the way Malfoy had at looked at Hermione in the Great Hall like he was jealous or something. She let the subject drop; she knew it would be futile to convince Hermione that she had managed to make her enemy fall for her. Ginny decided to keep an eye on him, look out for signs or slips he would make that would make her reach a conclusion. Suddenly, Malfoy did not appear as scary as he had previously looked, looked like he could have feelings too. She had always thought of him as an emotionless bat.

-….-

"Now if you turn your page, you'll see the theory in detail which will help you to understand the Confundus Charm correctly. The theory is quite self-explanatory and I know you all are capable of understanding it without help." Umbridge's over sweet and girlish voice rang in the room.

Everyone turned their pages to look at the next page. They made huge rustling noise just to hear something else apart from Umbridge who was speaking since the last half an hour, making Harry's ear recoil in pain. Sure enough, the page had a detailed theory on the charm which continued to the next three pages, supported by some useless diagrams.

Harry groaned as his eyes swept past the next three pages. He was positive that the charm did not require so much effort, trust Ministry to make their life even harder.

"Bloody hell mate." Ron whispered to Harry who was propped up on his palm.

"I'm sure you know, they are just wasting our time. This is ridiculous. I mean which hex requires three pages of theory to cast? And that too a simple one like this. I bet even the first years are flawless at this."

_Hem Hem_ sounded from behind themand the colour drained from Harry and Ron's faces. Looked like the toad heard everything! Reluctantly they turned back and Umbridge stood a few paces away from Harry. She gave them a very sweet smile and walked over to them. The entire class focused on the three of them, finding it more interesting than the dumb theory.

"Everyone turn back to your theory." Umbridge addressed the rest of the class and they looked back at their books, disappointment at missing the verbal war that would now start.

"I'm sure you have some problem with the theory Mr Potter." She said his name with such venom that would have even put Snape to shame.

"Actually I do." He said, much to Hermione and Ron's horror. She tried to tug at his sleeve but he ignored her.

"And what exactly is your problem Mr Potter?" she moved towards him and now stood directly in front of him.

"I have problems with a lot of things Professor and yes your book is definitely one of them." Harry smiled at her in a similar manner.

"I have read the book and have found no such problem, I think it is very elaborative and self- explanatory."

"I think elaborative enough to turn it useless." Harry concluded in a small voice so no one could hear him except Hermione, Ron and Umbridge.

Anger flashed in her eyes but Harry made no effort to apologize. "I think a detention will be enough to remove you problem then?" She raised his eyebrows at him.

"I don't think so. I don't think I've broken any rules, just questioned you on this book. It's not against the rules is it Hermione?" He turned to face her. Hermione was as red as Ron and looked shocked and scared but she gave him a small no.

"See, I thought so." He turned back to Umbridge who was fuming now. Any minute, Ron guessed she would explode.

"And I don't think Professor Dumbledore vey likely would accept your method of punishment." Harry was playing with fire, he knew he had trigged a nerve of hers as the vein near her temple throbbed and her eyes narrowed. She smiled venomously at him and responded in a whisper,

"Not long Mr Potter until I have this school under control." She stalked away towards the front of the class. Anything, he was ready for anything but not this response. He looked at Ron and Hermione who wore similar shocked expression. Harry turned to look at Umbridge and she smiled again in content, satisfied with her warning.

-…..-

"Bonkers, that woman is mad, mental." Ron shouted into the empty common room. Harry was pacing in front of the fireplace. Hermione sat at the far end of the room on their usual table. Ron sat on the couch in front of the fireplace.

"What is she playing at? She threatened us in front of the entire class." Harry stopped pacing and looked at Hermione. Hermione got up from her chair and sat beside Ron.

"This is not good, the way it's going. The threat was real."

Ron turned to face Hermione. "Of course it was real Hermione. Did Umbridge look that kind of a woman who would make empty threats? After blood quill, hard luck I'd say"

"She is openly challenging Dumbledore's capability in running the school." Hermione looked at Harry as she said. "She certainly wants to control the school now, but I think with Dumbledore here; that would be…"

"No she would do it." Ron stopped her mid-way. "Ron's right Hermione." Harry said as he walked over to his favourite armchair. "She already managed to take the Defence position and then introduced that book with nothing but bullshit in it. If Dumbledore had his wish he would have never allowed the book to enter the premises."

Harry was right. He knew Dumbledore, he knew him well enough to tell what he despised and what he approved of. As far as Harry could tell he would have definitely banned the book from Hogwarts and possibly the toad too. But why wasn't he doing it? He was the headmaster of this school, if anyone had any right over this school first, it would be Dumbledore.

He suddenly realised he hadn't seen Dumbledore since he got back from school. Where was he these days? He hadn't seen much of him in the Great Hall either. The sudden and often disappearance of Dumbledore from school looked like a heavy mystery which had placed its burden on Harry's shoulders.

"Something's not right isn't it?" Hermione asked quietly.

"I haven't seen much of him since we got back. I have hardly seen him at the lunch and dinner hours. And he still hasn't sent for me, not even once." he looked equally puzzled like Hermione and Ron.

"Something is happening. Dumbledore wouldn't leave the school for any matter unless it's urgent."

"Do you think it's got something to do with You-know-Who?" Ron asked as he played with a small thread which was poking out of the sofa.

"Dunno Ron. Maybe." Harry turned away from them.

If it concerned Voldemort, Harry was certain Dumbledore would tell him or at least Sirius would. But none of them had notified him lately and there weren't any Death Eater raids or disappearances lately, so what was keeping Dumbledore and the Order busy?

A loud thunder boomed across the sky and heavy drops of rain made their way to the ground. The wind turned heavy and in no time transformed into a storm roaring and threatening them.

-xxxx-

**Done! I hope you enjoyed this one. The next chapter won't be up by next week.**

**Have an amazing weekend.**

**Review!**


	6. Hesitation

**Author's note: **Yes I said, the next update will next week but I just completed this chapter and thought I would post it up. Enjoy and don't forget to review!

**horselovr171: **Thank you for the review, and yes you can expect something like that about Draco Malfoy. Hope you enjoy this chapter as well.

…

"Silencio, pronounced as _si-Len-see-oh_…" Ron read from his _The Standard book of Spells _textbook screwing up his face when he read the pronunciation. They were sitting at their favourite table near the window. Harry had his _Intermediate Transfiguration_ textbook opened to _Owl to Opera Glasses _chapter, he was propped up on his elbow and was staring at the page unblinkingly; his thoughts far away. Hermione sat across the table listening to Ron's reading.

"It comes from the English word 'Silence', the Italian word 'Silenzio' or the Spanish word 'Silencio'. The silencing charm is a charm that renders the victim temporarily mute. It works both on Beats and Beings. In order for this charm to be most effective, the witch or the wizard must move their wand using a sharp jab rather than a sort of a wave. The spell is not powerful _non-verbally_. That's it?" he looked up at Hermione disbelievingly.

"Bloody hell, how am I supposed to write a three and a half foot essay on such a small paragraph?" Ron's voice had risen to a shout and Harry got jerked back from his thoughts. "Uh…what?"

Harry looked at Ron and then at Hermione. Ron turned his chair and faced him. "Filtwick assumes us to write a three and a half foot essay on three sentences given in the textbook? Mental that man is if you ask me."

"Ron." Hermione shouted, apparently she was opposed to this student-swearing-teacher thing.

"What? It's true. Harry did you finish?" Ron asked, ignoring Hermione's reasons on why you shouldn't insult a teacher.

"Oh! Yes I did." Harry said, turning a few pages of his textbook.

Ron turned red and asked in a threateningly calm voice. "When did you finish this Harrykins?"

Harry backed up from Ron. "Last night; when you were busy nicking food from the kitchens with Fred, George and Dean. Hermione made me complete it."

"All of it?" he turned to look at Hermione who smiled smugly at him. Ron looked back at Harry, "You know I'm just going to practice my Silencing charm on you."

Harry made to run from the table and up the boy's dormitory but Ron performed the charm perfectly and Harry's protest turned mute. He looked back at Hermione with satisfaction who looked in horror at Harry.

"That will do the job." He looked at Harry who was signalling him to reverse the spell. "Now you'll understand never to do your homework without me."

"So will you give your homework to me?" He asked Hermione, twirling his wand in his fingers.

"No." Hermione said sharply and started packing her bag.

"What? You can't do that." Ron pocketed his wand and shifted closer to Hermione.

"Yes I can."

"But you helped Harry." he argued.

"No I did not. I just made him read _Achievements in Charms_, he did it by himself." She heaved her bag on her shoulder and got up.

"You can't go like this. Hermione please; a little help. Please." He pleaded, ignoring Harry's antics to gain his attention.

"Fine, go and search it in the library. It's still an hour to curfew." She walked past the table and headed towards the girls dormitory.

"Hermione wait. You can't make me go there. I'll just get lost in that 'small' place." He looked horridly at her for even thinking of making him going there by himself.

Hermione's lips twitched but she maintained a calm face and spoke sternly. "Fine but this would be the last time I am going to help you with your homework Ronald."

"Yeah, yeah okay. I got it." he pushed her towards the portrait hole. "Just hurry before curfew."

Hermione sighed as she walked out of the portrait hole, sometimes she did not understand why she compelled herself to do the boys work. Boys! She walked down to the third floor. The corridors were deserted as it was almost time for curfew. It was long past 8:00 pm and Hermione hoped Madam Pince would let her borrow the book after library hours.

It was almost a month later after Umbridge's warning. They repeatedly sat after hours in the common room discussing the possible chances of danger. They had seen less and less of Dumbledore in the coming days which added to their worry. Harry still wasn't able to talk to Dumbledore; it seemed Dumbledore managed to escape before Harry could catch him up, like he was avoiding him. But why would Dumbledore avoid Harry in the first place?

They were far more alert in Umbridge's class then they were in Potions; constantly trying to read between her lines or simply to keep their eye on her. She hadn't done anything drastically big except for the blood quills which she had started using on the first years as well.

There was a lot of commotion when a Gryffindor first year came into the common room one night with his hand clenched tightly across his chest. He walked into the room with full of Gryffindors enjoying their evening. The loud chatter and laugh turned to a complete mute as the boy stared horror faced at his fellow Gryffindors. It had taken a lot more than shouting to control the angry senior year students, a few hexes and broken furniture later and the somewhat calmed Gryffindors sat with boy who cried miserably into Hermione's chest.

There was lot more than the blood quills which Umbridge was using, Hermione was sure of that. They had also witnessed a rather loud argument between Professor McGonagall and Umbridge when Harry, Ron and Hermione had sneaked under the invisibility cloak to spy on her. Apparently McGonagall was having a hard time digesting Umbridge's believes and methods of teaching, everyone had. Everyone knew the book of Defence was useless. Even Lockhart was a better teacher, Hermione shrugged as the thought crossed her mind.

She reached the library and had to plead to Madam Pince to let her in. After five minutes of pleading and promising it wouldn't happen again, Hermione got the book and was on her way back to the Gryffindor tower. She vowed to make Ron pay for this. Hermione thought of all the things she could make Ron do for her in exchange for the book.

She smiled at the direction her thoughts had suddenly taken, she rounded a corner and the smile slipped from her face. Draco Malfoy was sitting on a small raised platform near the window, staring out into the starless sky.

-….-

Draco Malfoy sat near the window looking out into the night. It was pitch black and he could hardly make anything out. He saw the vague forms of the trees surrounding the forbidden forests and a few Threstals flying into the night's sky.

He closed his eyes and leaned against the wall. His brain was far too tired to think about anything. That's what he did these days, think, think and think. Sometimes he wondered if his overthinking will strip him off the capability to think in the future. But he couldn't ignore the thoughts and rising sense of panic which was brewing at the bottom of his stomach.

It had started a week ago when Draco had received a letter from his father. He knew what his father had written about; he wanted to burn the letter without opening it but then thought better of it. His father would get suspicious if he did not reply.

Draco's hand reached into his pocket and he took out the crumpled letter his father had sent him. He was yet to reply and he had no idea what he was supposed to say. He straightened the crumpled paper and his eyes fell on the short paragraph his father had written.

_Draco,_

_You'll be glad to know that the Dark Lord has approved of you. I am really proud of you son. I knew you'll stand up for the Malfoy name one day. The Dark Lord intends to give you the Dark Mark before your school term ends so you could assist him in his work, expect Christmas to be the time._

_ LM._

Draco crumpled the paper again. There were no 'hellos' or 'how are you son?' or 'mother misses you.' Nothing. He knew his father was a cold hearted person but he did not expect him to be so much so as to ignore his own son and his wishes. Draco was not ready for all this, heck he would ever be.

He clutched the letter tightly in his fist and threw it away from him. It landed a few paces ahead of him near someone's shoes. Draco's eyes grew wide as he looked up but relaxed as he saw Hermione standing there looking impassively at him. He turned and continued staring out the window without a glance at her. Hermione picked up the paper. Her face grew horrified with each passing word as she read Draco's letter.

After what felt like eternity to Draco did Hermione move. She walked with small steps towards him as if measuring his reaction beforehand. She dumped her bag near the raised platform and sat near his outstretched legs. She looked at him but he refused to look at her, choosing instead to look out of the window. Hermione noticed he was pale, pale than he normally was. Faint dark circles were visible underneath his eyes like he hadn't slept for days. His robes and vest lay on a heap near his bag; his tie was loose around his neck where several of his buttons were undone. She took in his form and when she was sure he wouldn't speak she called out to him,

"Draco…" she called quietly. He diverted his gaze slowly to her. He took her in with greedy eyes as if he would be seeing her for the last time.

"If you are going to say I deserve this or you hate me, better walk off." He hissed venomously at her. Hermione was taken aback by the venom in his voice but her anger subsided when she looked at his dishevelled form again.

"I wasn't going to say that." she responded in a small voice.

Draco looked at her, his eyes boring into hers. He sat a bit straighter and folded his legs. Hermione moved a bit closer to him and he did not recoil back in horror from her which Hermione had expected he would. Instead he looked at her in a pleading sort of way as if begging her to take him away from his problems.

"Are you alright?" she asked timidly.

"Do I look like I am?" he was clearly irritated by her questions and she just wanted to walk off but his disturbed form rooted her to that place.

"No of course you don't." she said and sighed, giving up her attempts to make a conversation. "Look, I don't even want to say I know how you are feeling because I don't. I don't know what you are feeling or thinking or I won't say anything about that."

He chuckled at her. "You seriously are the smartest witch, aren't you? Poor, Potter and Weasel don't see you much that way."

"Keep them out of it." Hermione responded sternly and Draco raised his eyebrows at her. He turned back to the window and she heard him sigh after a minute.

"You are right. You don't know what I'm feeling right now, you would never know because you lie in a basket protected by the people who love you and who would die thousand times for you."

"What do you mean?" Hermione asked in a whisper. She was clearly confused. Why would he say that? Wasn't he loved? Didn't his overly proud parents love him? Just everyone in Hogwarts knew how much Draco was fond of the Sr. Malfoy.

He smiled. "I knew you would say that." he turned to face her again.

"Have you ever lived with someone who doesn't care about you? Who don't care what happens to you? You are ready to sacrifice you just so they could save their own godamn arse?"

Hermione was shocked at his words. What was he saying? Who was he talking about?

"Malfoy I…." Hermione began but he cut her off.

"Of course you don't, otherwise you would have taken residence in the library trying to find answers to these questions." He smirked at her and Hermione wasn't affected this time, simply because she couldn't make head or tail of what he was saying.

"They don't care about me you know. My parents." He whispered the last part and Hermione backed off in horror at his revelation.

"No, Malfoy you must have…."she began but he cut her off again.

"Must have what? Misunderstood?" he gave a small mirthless laugh. "Tell me, Hermione…" she looked genuinely shocked at the use of her name. "Tell me which kind of parents sends their son his own death sentence in the form of an invitation?" he snatched the letter from her hands and waved it in front of her face.

"What kind of parents invites their only son to walk in to the open arms of death? Surely your parents wouldn't do that would they Granger?" he gave another mirthless laugh but continued ignoring her alarmed expression.

"Yes I am a Malfoy and I've never wanted to run from this name before but today, today I feel I would have been happy even as a muggle born." He looked up at her and smirked again.

"I was never happy with them you know. My parents, I never was because there are simply more than material things which a human requires to survive and my parents thought buying me a huge house and luxurious things would be enough. Like, those things could fill up the empty places which they left in my life."

"You should talk to them." Hermione suggested quietly.

"Talk to them? About what Granger? That I don't want to be a part of his plan of making me a Death Eater? He wouldn't even spare my ashes."

Hermione eyes grew wide with shock. He didn't want to be a death eater?

"You don't…I mean…you don't want to be a..a…" she couldn't get the words out but he understood.

"Death Eater? Hell! No. I never even thought of that before. I always thought there was still plenty of time to make a choice only to know now that I don't actually have a choice."

"Yes you have." Hermione shouted at him.

"Really Granger?" he asked his voice smooth and clam.

"Yes. Everyone has choices."

"Apparently not the children of Death Eaters. We are raised so we could join and increase his numbers." he stated as a fact.

"But you'll always have a choice Draco." Hermione pleaded desperately.

He smiled at her. "You know, I like when call me by my name."

"Don't change the topic." She added sternly.

"You're always bossy aren't you?"

"You should make your own choice Draco. Nothing can stop you if you don't want to, you should just believe in yourself."

"Stop seeing good in all people Granger. I am evil remember? I harassed and tortured you for the last four years of your life. You hate me." Damn her all-people-have-somewhat-good-in-them-quality.

"Not since what happened last month. At least not as much as I used to." She admitted in a small voice. Draco was taken aback from her response. He had assumed she would hate him even more after what he did to her.

"You won't ask me why I did that?" he asked, he wanted to ask her since then but his pride took over and shut him up.

"Yes, but then I thought you must have those double standards problem." Her lips twitched but she managed to maintain a straight face.

"Double standards?" he voiced, shocked.

"Yes. You have it." she confirmed and to her amusement he burst out laughing.

"Next time think of something more amusing than that Granger."

"So, that confirms you really had a problem with me touching somebody." She asked knowing she would get her answer today.

"Yes, I have." He said slowly, the fury returning to his eyes.

"Why?" she asked in a small voice. There was no hint of amusement or laughter in the air, like it vanished just as it had come.

"Because I didn't like it."

"That doesn't mean anything." She argued.

"It means a lot Granger, you won't understand." His eyes were a pool of emotions, much more than he would normally let himself reveal, she thought. But he masked them again, like he didn't want her know what he thought or felt. She felt frustrated, she wanted to yank the mask off his face and have all her answers.

"Try me." she tried again.

"Next time." He got up and collected his clothes and draped them over his hand. He swung his bag on his shoulder and left without a word or a backward glance.

-….-

"Merlin Hermione! It took you ages to comeback." Ron said as he saw Hermione walking through the portrait hole.

" , sorry Ron." Hermione mumbled as she took the book out. Her thoughts were far too distracted to understand anything that Ron asked.

"I asked what took you so long." Ron asked irritably, as he too the book from Hermione and flipped open the book.

"Madam Pince had left the library, so I had to go looking for her." she said and turned towards the girls staircase.

"Goodnight Ron, Night Harry." She mumbled walking up the stairs. She heard Ron mumble the same and did not hear Harry; maybe Ron was still upset with him about the homework thing.

Hermione stretched on her bed, her mind far too occupied with other thoughts. Life was so complicated now, with Umbridge, Dumbledore and now Malfoy. She turned on her left side and extinguished the table lamps letting the darkness take over her as she fell into a dreamless sleep.

-xxxxxxxxxxxx-

I know not much, but I tried to include whatever I can.

Next Chapter Update: So from the next chapter Draco Malfoy is slowly going to turn himself over to the Light side with Hermione's help. And beginning of The DA!

Review! Review! Review!


	7. A new turn

**Author's note: **Next chapter! I loved writing this one, hope you'll enjoy reading it!

**PuppyProngs****: **I won't let anything out just yet. You have wait and find out in the upcoming chapters. Be ready it's just started.

**Maesde****: **haha! I was eager to show Draco's hesitation in joining the Death Eaters. I'm glad you liked it.

**Starzinmieyez****: **Hehe! Yes! A light one and in the upcoming chapters he is going to go under a major change! Keep reading!

Thank you for the review everyone and to all those who read regularly!

Don't forget to review!

…..

By the start of November, things had gotten pretty much out of hand. Dumbledore all together disappeared from the school making his appearance once or twice a week, Umbridge had practically taken over the school, the no. of students subjected to blood quill increased, the restrictions increased and so did the study pressure on the fifth and the seventh years. With the increased "theory" material into their syllabus almost every student was found reading some or the other textbook. The most disturbing thing was that no one questioned Umbridge's authority on the school; not even McGonagall who was opposed to the woman in the first place, it was kind of implied authority which everyone accepted and obeyed.

No one opposed when Umbridge was appointed the "High Inquisitor" of Hogwarts, no one questioned when all student organizations were banned, nor did McGonagall oppose when authority over punishments were handed over to Umbridge: this was just the green card for the use of blood quill. Umbridge was so far playing her cards thoughtfully and with the prevailing situations, she was playing them smartly.

Draco and Hermione's meeting in the corridor turned out to be an unexpected turn of events for both of them. She met him frequently in the library; accidently (or purposefully in case of Draco) and would end up studying for hours at Hermione's secluded table. Draco had somewhat opened up to Hermione, letting his thoughts reflect on his face or asking her a twisted question. He took her help in responding to his father's letter. The one thing which Draco learned in all of this was; she was selfless, had different perspective of life and thought highly of Harry and Ron.

"You know Draco…," she had said once. They were in the library studying Arithmancy then, "You asked me about this whole life-is-inferior-and-Harry-Potter-still-gets-every-awesome-thing-in-the-world thing?" she popped her eyebrows at him and he chuckled.

"Yes." He said, closing his parchment and letting it dry.

"Well, I thought about it." she said, turning the quill over in her hands.

"No doubt." He said, trying to keep his smile from showing and failing miserably.

She smacked his arm playfully and said, "Listen, I know you don't really think highly of Harry or anything, for the world he might be Harry Potter the-boy-who-lived, but for me it's…it's just Harry; only Harry; he didn't get anything as a child Draco, not even a toy." Her voice dropped when she said the last part, not quite realizing how much it upset her.

"He has suffered so much in his life, he just deserves it, you know; everything that he is getting right now; the attention, the love; everything. He was devoid of those things and he needs it. He needs love and caring, no one cared about him before and now there are a whole lot of people who would die for him any day!" She closed her quill and ink bottle and stretched in her seat. She let out a small sigh and continued,

"Over the years of being with him I've seen a different form of him, a different side; yes he is famous and all but there is a lot more to it Draco; he is loyal to a fault, a very brave wizard, a good friend. It will take him more than a Cruciatus Curse to betray the people he loves and he just has a handful of them left." She looked at him with hopeful eyes. He knew what that look meant. They had spent endless times arguing about his enmity with Harry and Ron.

"Look Hermione…" he began unsurely.

"No you look." She said sternly. "We have grown up; why not leave these childish fights behind us?"

"Childish?" he said sharply and straightened up in his chair. She let out a low chuckle.

"Yes, childish." She said nodding her head.

Draco leaned back in his chair; his thoughts went back to the first day of school where he had offered his friendship to Harry. He looked at Hermione and knew she was right. They were nothing but childish fights and shallow ego clashes, nothing much, and the enmity continued because Harry got into Gryffindor. So, it was the usual; Slytherin and Gryffindor enmity that just ran deeper after that.

"You might not know this, but yes I offered Harry a friendship which he declined." He said in a low voice. He didn't know why but he felt like she should know it.

"What?" she looked surprised.

"Yes, but he refused it when I insulted Weasley, he decided to stick with the weasel."

The words, the truth was out before Draco could control, he just wanted Hermione to know this. Why? He didn't completely understand, like he wanted to get out of her bad books and tell her he had tried in the first place. He hurriedly packed his bag and left a shell shocked Hermione behind.

Hermione's perspective of Draco Malfoy had changed too, he wasn't the evil, vile, loathsome cockroach that he used to be, but he was something else, something different which he hid from the world. He didn't look ugly anymore but instead a handsome man who was just a little confused. Hermione was sure that in the coming years Draco Malfoy would replace his father's position at Voldemort's side, but today he was suddenly a different man, a different being, searching his way out into the free, open world.

She couldn't despise him now, she had tried miserably to hate and loath him after that corridor encounter but she couldn't. She tried joining Harry and Ron in the who-throws-greater-insults-at-the-ferret competition but when her chance would come the image of a dishevelled Draco Malfoy would pop into her head and the insults would melt in her throat.

He was a changed man; yes a man, not a boy. A man, who just needed a little push in the right direction and Hermione, was already doing it. His believes on muggles and muggle borns were shaken and Hermione leaped on the chance to shake them completely, she told and tried again and again, explained and listened to him. He had agreed, a small part of him she knew agreed with her and she was happy for it. She knew it was going to take just more than a few months to convince him entirely but she was ready for that.

-…..-

Nearly everyone failed in the next Defence against the Dark Arts mock practical which Umbridge had taken to see the students' performance. The ones who passed were, Harry, Ron, Hermione and two Slytherin girls. Umbridge was furious with the results but still was adamant that the students didn't read the theory well and gave them a four foot long essay to write on the importance of reading theory due next Thursday.

Students appearing for Owl this year were scared now; they couldn't even get the Expelliarmus spell correct and failing the practical's meant failing OWL exams. Students started practising the spells in the corridors and in the library. They were desperate to get it correct and master it by the time OWL's came, but the 'light wave' and 'a sharp jab' of the wand mentioned in the theory did not work with the students who were then left even more confused and scared.

Harry had no problem grasping the spells and he learnt it rather quickly, and then took to teaching Hermione and Ron. Harry was quite strong with DADA everyone knew that and people would approach him for his help with a spell or two and Harry would willingly help. Hermione was glad Harry was helping all these people even the ones who had turned their backs on him and called him a liar last year, but Harry wasn't exactly the one to hold grudges for long.

Dean and Seamus spotted Hermione walking towards the portrait hole on Friday evening. They looked at each other, nodded and called out to her increasing their pace along with their voices.

"Hermione. Hermione wait." Seamus and Dean ran to catch up with her before she could enter the common room. She stopped at the entrance and turned to watch the boys hurrying up to her.

"Hey boys." Hermione greeted cheerfully.

"Hey." They said in unison and smiled at each other having sounded like Fred and George.

"What's wrong?" she asked, suspecting the boys were up to something after they looked nervously at each other.

"Ah…we need your help with something." Dean said tapping his foot impatiently.

"Help? With what?" she narrowed her eyes when Seamus tried to tell her something but Dean nudged him in the stomach with his elbow.

"Not here, somewhere else?" Seamus asked.

"Sure." Hermione said and lead the way to the small alcove near the staircase.

"What is it." she said as she folded her hands across her chest.

"Hmmm…we were just thinking you know…" Dean trailed off.

"Thinking what?" Hermione said with impatience. They were really behaving odd.

"That we need Harry's help in DADA." Seamus finished for Dean and Hermione visibly relaxed.

"Just that much? C'mon you know Harry will never say no."

"Yeah we know that, but we aren't the only ones who need his help." Dean said looking around nervously for eavesdroppers/

"You mean?" she asked.

"What we mean is…" Seamus said, "There are people from the other houses who want help from Harry in DADA and he is the only one in the school right now who can teach us since Umbridge has banned other teachers from teaching anything out of their syllabus and she hardly knows Defence." He finished with a sigh.

Realization dawned on Hermione and her eyes grew wide, "You mean, private tuitions type? With 10-15 students?"

"Yes exactly. People are eager you know. We've talked to them and they are just waiting for Harry to say yes." Dean whispered.

That didn't sound like a bad idea to her at all and knowing Harry it would definitely sound a bad idea to him.

"I'll try." She said knowing why the boys told her this. She was the only one who could completely convince Harry into this.

-…..-

Hermione talked to Harry the next day in Care of Magical Creatures class when Seamus and Dean kept shooting looks at her and as she expected Harry did not take it well. He argued and argued and still argued at the end of the day, telling her it wasn't a good idea. She argued back, and desperately tried to show him how much it would succeed and going against Umbridge was what most of the students wanted, even if it was in secret. Ron took it much better than Harry and quickly joined Hermione in convincing Harry.

When Dean and Seamus joined in their convincing, Harry lost his temper and shouted that he'll think about it before storming back into his dormitory. They all exchanged smiles before heading back to their own beds, the excitement visible in their smiles and steps.

Harry took a week to make a decision and that week changed a lot of things. The professors started handling out foot long essays when they got too angry, Snape openly showed his hatred for Harry when he disappeared his flawless potion because the flame on his caldron too much which led to Harry being a little aggressive and angry in the days that followed.

Hermione started spending a lot of her time with Seamus, Dean and Ron planning out arrangements for their tuition thing which they were positive Harry wouldn't refuse and that meant she had little or absolutely no time for Draco and they their little study sessions which led a frustrated Draco corner her every now and then.

She was sure the others wouldn't approve of a Slytherin being a part of this small tuition thing that they were planning so she did not tell Draco about it. She spent less time with him knowing that she would spill the bins if she stayed in his company for too long. Draco had managed to corner her two times in the week but had to let her go when he heard faint footsteps coming their way. He was forced to leave but he promised her that he would get to her one day and she wouldn't be able to escape him. Hermione would have laughed at him for saying that to her but his eyes shone a different anger which she dared not cross, so she simply ran away from him and tried not to see him in the Great Hall or in the corridors.

Draco's behaviour changed and he openly showed his irritation in the corridors and in the classes and openly as he did, he blamed it on Hermione's behaviour towards him. She was shocked when he blamed her but couldn't ask why as he left hurriedly as someone arrived. Hermione thought of Draco as a good friend by now, he didn't' tease her, didn't ridicule her and was quite decent when they were alone. As much as she wanted to tell him about DADA she couldn't, it would only anger the others.

It was late on Friday night when Draco finally managed to corner Hermione just a few minutes after curfew. She rounded the corridor on the third floor and stopped as she saw Draco leaning against the window fame staring out into the night.

The corridor was darkened with faint light emitting from the far away torches. Draco looked up as Hermione walked again ignoring his heated gaze. She passed him and just when she thought she got past him, a cold hand wrapped against her elbow and pushed her against the opposite wall.

She looked up at him; his grew eyes shone with emotions though his face was masked with fury. He held her gaze and gave no sign of letting her go. His left hand rested against the wall near her head while the right one was still wrapped on her elbow. He leaned into her and stopped when their bodies pressed against each other. Hermione's gaze shifted from his eyes and rested on his chest. She did not look up at him again but just stared at his loose tie.

She couldn't look into his eyes, they were accusatory, they accused her of causing him pain and irritation and she couldn't look into them again. Her face flushed with shame. She brought her arms up and pushed her palms against his chest and tried to get away from him but he tightened his hold on her elbow and pushed her further against the wall, slamming his body against her so that it covered her small frame completely. He rested his hands against the walls again, trapping her from all sides.

"Where are you coming from?" he asked her with clenched teeth.

"That's none of your business." She tried to sound rude but failed.

"I'm a prefect Hermione, of course I want to know unless you want to land yourself in a detention with me." he gazed into her chocolate orbs and smirked.

She closed her eyes tightly and let out a frustrated sigh before opening them again, "I was with McGonagall." It was a lie of course. She had gone to see a small room for the DADA practice on the second floor which Fred and George had found when they were hiding from Filch.

"Really?" he asked spotting a lie.

"You can ask McGonagall." She looked up at him and gave a small sigh, "Draco…"

"No don't." he said sharply and leaned further into her.

"Listen, I…." she tried again but he shook his head telling her to stop.

"What's up with you and Finnigan?" he hissed venomously.

"What? Nothing?" she was shocked at his words.

"Don't lie. Goyle saw you with him in the abandoned classroom on the sixth floor after curfew." If looks could kill Hermione would been dead by now. His face wore an angry mask of hatred and disgust.

"No, it' not like that." she tried to reason with him without giving away the truth. "I was just helping him with…with Transfiguration spells." When in fact they were making plans and arrangements for DADA.

"Do you seriously think I am going to buy this lie?"

"Because it's the truth." She argued.

"I'm not an idiot Hermione." He said slowly and let the words hit her. It did. Her eyes grew wide for a moment and then turned back to normal as she stared at him.

"Why does it matter to you?" she asked suddenly angry. "Why does it matter to you if I'm alone in a classroom with Finnigan or…or on a cosy date with Cormac McLaggen?"

His eyes narrowed at her and his body stiffed against hers. A possessive rage filled him again and he wished nothing more than to murder the blasted guy and McLaggen. He was a Malfoy and he didn't like sharing. He was already sharing her with her friends and two more made him lose it and he lost his control. And before he could comprehend he blurted out,

"Because I love you." And stormed off.

-xxxxxxxxxxxx-

Yes! I love you at last. I wanted to continue but the chapter reached its limit and I had to stop. Next chapter will be up real soon!

Review! Review!

Next Update: The formation of DA and Hermione's reaction.


	8. Feelings and Decisions

**Author' note: **Here's chapter 8! Enjoy!

**Maesde: **You asked me at the right time. I wanted to settle Draco/Hermione before Harry/Ginny's and Ron/Lavender's could begin. Glad that you're enjoying the story. Thanks.

**Starzinmieyez: **Yes, finally I know. I was super excited to publish that chapter. Thanks for reading and reviewing.

**midnightangel86: **Hehe. Sorry for leaving you hanging but I just felt that was the right time to stop. Don't hate me. Well, here's Harry and Ginny! Thanks for the review!

Enjoy!

Hermione walked back to the Gryffindor common room in a daze, her thoughts revolving around a certain blond man who didn't hesitate to say that he loved her in spite of the obvious differences and rivalry between them. She was attracted to him too; she couldn't deny it then as she walked back. She had tried to control her obvious feelings for him just for the sake of others but she then didn't know he returned the feelings.

But she had to make a decision now; it was a big one, the kind of which was going to affect many people around her. If she ignored him it would bring pain to him and her and if she decided to choose him it would bring unnecessary pain to others; after all who falls in love with their own enemy? But he wasn't an enemy any longer, not her enemy at least. She knew Harry and Ron would never accept Draco whether he changed or not, some rivalry just didn't wither with time.

She went back to her dormitory expecting it to be empty but she saw Ginny Weasley sitting cross legged on the couch in front of the fireplace, reading a textbook. She looked up as Hermione approached her,

"Her Gin, up so late?" Hermione deposited her herself next to her.

"Reading. Got a test." She said and held up her book at Hermione. Hermione smiled back automatically and patted Ginny's shoulder. "All the best."

"Thanks." Ginny said and closed the book. "So you found the room?" she asked. Ginny had obviously come to know of the tuition thing. There was nothing that the smallest Weasley didn't know.

"Actually yes, but that room is too small if there will be more than 20 of us. We'll be practicing DADA so that will definitely need more space. We need something big and spacious." Hermione let out a sigh and leaned back tiredly.

Ginny narrowed her eyes at the big girl and raised her eyebrows at her, "Tell me, what is eating you up?"

Hermione was caught off guard. She blushed and looked around the empty common room. She wasn't sure she wanted Ginny to know what had happened. Hermione wasn't sure Ginny would take it easy but then she knew about Draco and she hadn't told anyone.

"It's complicated." Hermione said at last, not giving much.

"Sure it is. You seem worried." Ginny smiled slightly as she took in Hermione's expression.

"Is it…I mean is it difficult to love someone?" Hermione knew it didn't make any sense but she knew Ginny would understand and help her without asking any questions. That was one thing Hermione loved about Ginny.

"Yes, it is." Ginny said sincerely. "It is difficult to love someone because when you decide to love someone you have to do it with all you heart and soul and it's not easy. It's complicated; complicated because you have to be selfish, rude, stupid and betray sometimes." She looked at Hermione and gave her a small smile. Hermione noticed Ginny's eyes were glistering.

"You love Harry." Hermione said quietly. It wasn't a question, just a statement. But Ginny answered.

"Yes. I always have." Hermione knew that. She knew how this girl was crazy for him and she had been since the first time she had him on the station.

"What's it like for you?" Hermione asked slowly and waited for the younger one to frame her answer. After a few minutes of silence she spoke,

"It's different." She looked at Hermione again and continued, "It's different because I don't know if he loves me or not. Sometimes I think he's holding back because I'm Ron's sister but then sometimes I think if he truly loved me then he wouldn't care about that fact. But I know one day or the other he'll realize it. That's what I've done. I've known him for four years now and I've seen him in a different way, just like you and Ron see him, just Harry. He might be brave and all but behind this curtain of being brave I know he's just a small kid scared of a thunderstorm." She chuckled and Hermione nodded her head. She knew just how scared Harry could be at times.

"I tried to run away from it in the beginning disposing it off as just a crush. But I didn't know that one day this crush would envelope me so tightly. And when I realised my crush had changed into love I tried running away from it because at that time I had convinced myself that Harry would never love me. That is the only reason why I dated, to see if that crush or infatuation went away. But it didn't, it just came back with full force and would knock me out. So I decided to accept it rather than run from it. I know it will come to me at the right time, I just have to wait."

Ginny stared hard into the fire. Hermione looked at Ginny and realised how early the young one had fallen in love and she could do nothing but just wait until Harry could realise that she's the right one for him.

"What if he takes years?" Hermione asked trying to see all the possibilities.

"Then I'll wait all these years." she turned to face Hermione and smiled. Hermione tried to smile back but it failed and turned into a frown.

"I know Harry, he'll think of all the people around him first and then about himself. So it's going to take time." Ginny said encouragingly.

"That's not true. He knows he likes you Ginny, he's just shy." Ginny laughed at Hermione's attempt to convince her.

"I know Hermione, all I'm saying is I'll wait till he's ready."

It was Hermione's turn to stare into the fire. There were so many things Hermione wanted to know. She knew she'll have to talk to someone about them, books normally failed at this department.

"Would you…would you love Harry if he was bad…evil?" Hermione knew she shouldn't have asked this but she was desperate for an answer.

"Yes I would have because love sees no evil and no good Hermione. I love Harry because I see and sense a part of him which is worth me and it doesn't matter if it's evil or not." Ginny stated simply as if it were a fact and Hermione had somehow missed on it.

"Even if the world hated him? Would you still love Harry? Hermione pressed further.

"I would love him Hermione, so the world's hate doesn't matter." Ginny answered and got up to leave.

"Good night Hermione, I hope I helped." She walked to the girls' staircase and called out to her once again. Hermione looked at the younger girl looking all grown up at once.

"Listen to your heart; it'll lead you the right way. Don't worry about the world, sometimes you have to learn to give a damn to it." She walked up the staircase and disappeared from Hermione's view.

Ginny had put it up so simply yet Hermione had found it so difficult to understand. _I would love him Hermione, so the world's hate doesn't matter._ The words were so simple and full of meaning. It kept repeating itself in Hermione's head. She now fully understood what Ginny was trying to tell her, but she knew she had to wait. Now was not the right time to go hand in hand with the enemy. She would have to wait, there were so many things to be done and so many people she had to explain it to first but that too will have to wait. She decided to go with Ginny's decision, wait till the time is right.

-…..-

Draco didn't realise why he said that to her. He knew it had come to him with the force of the moment and the situation and he regretted not being able to control himself any longer. He always hated himself when he lost control over situations. That was one thing he was taught when he was growing up: Never to lose control of yourself, be calm and composed. Yet, he had failed to do that. He knew his friendship with Hermione was ruined forever now. She was already ignoring him and now any chances he had of winning her over were lost.

He tossed in his bed, frustrated and angry. The shocked face of Hermione swam in his head like it had glued itself into his memories forever. He had no clue how he was going to face her tomorrow. He was sure she would despise him again and the thought itself made her growl with anger. He had ruined his chances and he would regret it for as long as he would live.

He had felt the same way when he first realised he was falling for the muggle. Hatred and disgust mixed with self-loathing would consume him every day and he would die a little bit inside every time he would think about his parent's reaction. But later on with time as the platform on which his believes were built began to shake he realised he cared less and less about what his parents wanted and wished of him and everyday he found himself falling harder and harder for her.

Maybe the same would happen again this time, maybe I'll find my way around just like the last time, he thought. He knew his chances were little but he had come this far and he decided he wouldn't turn back without giving it a final shot.

-…..-

Everyone sat in the empty classroom on the sixth floor. Harry stood near the teacher's table and looked at everyone. It was his day to announce his decision about the DADA tuition. Hermione and Ron sat on the first bench directly in front of him. Dean and Seamus sat behind them with Fred, George on the bench next to them. Ginny and Neville sat on the bench ahead of them.

It looked funnier to Harry; he looked like a Professor about to give the most serious lecture on the unforgivables. He chuckled inside and looked at them once again. Ron and Hermione looked hopeful; Dean and Seamus looked excited yet unsure, while Fred, George and Neville looked like Christmas had come early while Ginny looked softly at him. She smiled when their eyes met and Harry's heart melted a bit when he saw that heart winning smile dressing her beautiful face.

He looked back at the others and cleared his throat, "Well, I've made my decision. I still say it' an absurd and a completely ridiculous idea but still I'd go with it since I'm well known for such things. So, I'm ready."

Everyone let out a breath which they were holding back and got up as they congratulated Harry telling him how wise his decision was! When everyone calmed down Harry spoke again,

"Okay, so before beginning with our lessons there are a few things which needs to be done." He said as he sat down on the teachers table. "First of all, we need to find a place, a hidden but a spacious room where everyone can fit in perfectly. Hermione did you find any?"

Everyone looked at her as she spoke. "I did look at a couple of place but they aren't that good; won't fit too many people at once. Some rooms are big but not hidden and are easy to spot while there are others who are well hidden but not spacious."

"Okay." Harry said after Hermione had finished. "So from today we all will try and look out for a place that will suit our needs. The second thing I need to know is who all are interested. Fred, George you'll do it?" he asked the twins who gave identical grins and shouted. "Aye aye captain!"

Harry smiled at them and continued, "All right then, try and get the exact number and to which year they belong." Harry knew the twins were the only people who could do the job without anyone knowing.

"So, then we'll meet when we have searched for a room and children." Harry hoped down from the desk and everyone got up to leave the classroom before Filch or Umbridge would catch them.

-…..-

Hermione scanned the book titles in front of her at a rapid speed. She was in the library at her regular table. She had completely forgotten about the Arithmancy essay which was due tomorrow. Normally Hermione would do her homework on the day it was given but so much had happened in the last two days that she had completely forgotten about her homework.

The noise of someone's footsteps behind her made turn back abruptly and she saw Draco Malfoy leaning against the bookcase near the entry to her secluded place. She saw him and a blush slowly crept up her face and she looked away before he could comment on it. She heard him approach her and he stopped a few paces away from where she stood. She looked up at him, the blush making her grow hot in the face.

"No greetings?" he asked in his usual arrogance and smirked at her. She rolled her eyes at him but greeted him nonetheless.

"Evening Malfoy." She said and sat on her chair.

Draco slumped in the one to her right. "What? No good? And Malfoy?" he asked his tone hurt.

Hermione looked up at him and noticed he still had his smirk on his face. "Fine." She said through gritted teeth. "Good Evening, Draco."

He smiled. "Now, that sounds good."

"What do you want?" she asked without looking up from her parchment.

"You know what I want. I thought I made it clear last time." His tone was serious and Hermione's breath got caught in her chest.

"I don't know what you are talking about." She said lamely and fidgeted with the textbook and parchment. His long fingers curled around her wrist, demanding her attention. She looked up at him and was shocked to see the pool of emotions in his eyes.

"Why are you acting like nothing happened?" he asked, his tone a bit harsh and rude.

"Because nothing happened Draco." She did not leave his eyes contact as she said, as if trying desperately to prove her point.

"I think otherwise." He said slowly, scowling at her.

"Another time Draco, I still have homework to do."

"Do it later on." He said with forced calmness.

"No." Hermione said stubbornly. "I have to…."

"Why the hell are you ignoring me Hermione, what have I done?" he cut her in, his voice rising with every word he spoke.

What has he done? Hermione wanted to shout at him telling him how he had turned her world upside down.

"I'm not ignoring you." She said slowly.

"You are, Hermione. And I want to know why?" his voice was suddenly clam with no traces of his anger in them.

"No I'm not. I'm just scared." Hermione whispered.

His grip loosened on her wrist but he still held on to her. "So am I." he whispered back and shifted closer to her until their bodies were touching.

"But I don't want to be Draco. I don't want to be scared of the world if I choose you. I want it to be carefree." She looked up at him, tears swelling up her eyes.

"I know it's going to be difficult Hermione. Good and bad don't usually mix up. But I'm ready to try." He grazed her cheek with his thumb waiting for her to answer.

"No one will accept it." he argued.

"I will." he said quietly and it hit her again just like Ginny's words had. _I would love him Hermione, so the world's doesn't hate doesn't matter._

"But I'm not ready yet." She said finally.

"I'll wait then." He said simply.

Hermione expected him to put up a fight but he did not. He accepted it, maybe because it was difficult for him too, she thought as she gave him a weak smile.

"We'll be friends then?" she asked lamely.

"No, I'm not interested." He said

She frowned at him. "I can never be your friend Hermione. I can never see you that way, but I'll try. I'm ready to try."

She smiled and nodded her head. "I've to do my homework."

He chuckled. "Yes, me too." he said as he lifted his bag from the floor and on to the table.

Some things as are not as difficult as they look, Hermione thought as she proceeded to complete her homework. And some people do not remain the same forever.

-xxxxxxx-

Done! Finally! It took me two days to finish this one. Hope you'll liked it.!

Review!


	9. The DA

**Author's note: **Here's chapter 9. The _Italics _indicate flashback. Enjoy!

**ashtree22: **Yes, but that I second nature to Hermione; worrying about everything.

**Starzinmieyez: **haha yes! Too much fluffy for Christmas, yet one more chapter to before Christmas.

**Lightningblade49: **Yes, that is why I've paired them together. You'll know how important it is going to be in the upcoming chapters.

Thank you all for the reviews!

…..

Harry Potter was not definitely a morning person. His morning laziness would normally make him late for his classes. That Sunday morning Harry got up in a daze and started looking for his school clothes and bags frantically. The sun was almost up and he was sure Professor Filtwick would give him detention for coming to class late for the fourth time in a week. He opened his trunk, collected his books and deposited them on his bed. He shut the trunk with his leg which closed with a loud **'**_**thump.**_**' **Ron startled awake while Neville stirred in his bed. Dean and Seamus were snoring loudly. Ron opened his eyes to see Harry running around his dormitory collecting his things.

"Mate? What are you doing?" Ron's voice was thick from sleep and he cleared his throat loudly.

"We will get late for class Ron, hurry up." Harry said sleepily.

"Yeah sure mate." He said sarcastically.

"Seriously. It's pretty late already, wake the others up." Harry moved towards Neville to shake him but Ron stopped him,

"Mate, it's Sunday and you've got bonkers." Ron smiled at Harry who flushed in embarrassment.

"Oh sorry." Harry said and flopped down on his bed still red.

Ron muffled his laughter and within minutes Harry heard him snoring again. Harry lay back on his bed, thousand thoughts running through his mind.

Harry thought of the first DA meeting which was to be held today, sometime in the eve. They had held a meeting yesterday again to go through the final arrangements. All eight of them had met in the empty classroom on the sixth floor.

"_Starting with the room, the seventh floor Room of Requirement will be the best option." Harry said as he sat down on the desk once again. The Room of Requirement was found by Neville when he was running from Filch that morning. They were yet to visit it._

"_I think it'll suit our requirements." Neville said, sitting up straighter in his seat._

"_We'll see that Nev, once we get to see the room ourselves. Fred, George did you get to know how many students are interested?"_

"_Aye aye Caption!" They both shouted._

"_Total 25 are interested." Fred said. Harry had come to know the difference between Fred and George a long time ago and still refused to tell anyone how he came to know who is who._

"_And?" Hermione asked._

"_15 from fifth year." George said and Fred continued further._

"_5 from sixth year."_

"_2 from year below you and…"_

"_3 from seventh year."_

_They finished one after the other and earned grins from everyone else. Harry smiled at them thankfully and continued, "All right then. First we'll go and see the room and if it's satisfactory we'll arrange the first meeting tomorrow."_

"_Okay." Everyone nodded their approval and left the classroom to head towards the seventh floor. Once on the seventh floor Neville demonstrated how he had managed to make the room appear. They did in a similar manner and a huge rusty door, an average height of the doors of the Great Hall stood before them. The doors had ancient carvings in them; on close inspection it revealed the carvings of men and women with spears and wands in their hands ready for a battle._

_Harry pushed open the doors to reveal a huge room, the size of the Great Hall. The floor was made of cold stone; huge book cases lined the far away wall while paintings hung on the left and the right side of the room picturing various scenes from various unknown battles._

"_This is perfect." Harry announced breaking the awestruck silence that surrounded them._

_They sat on the couch and the armchair in front of a fireplace near the huge windows. The fireplace glowed from the fire giving the place a very ancient look. They sat there for some time discussing further about the meeting._

"_So we'll keep the meeting tomorrow at around 7:00pm?" Seamus asked and Harry nodded his approval._

"_Then it's fixed, tomorrow will be our first meeting." Hermione recited._

"_We ought to have a name." Ginny said, excitedly._

"_How about Defence Tuition? Or Defensive Learning?" Dean suggested._

"_Or how about OTAPWADT?" Fred asked, earning confused looks from everyone._

"_Does it even mean anything?" Ron asked, voicing on behalf of everyone._

"_Of course it does little brother." George said grinning evilly._

"_Our teachers…_

"_Are prats…"_

"_So we have to…"_

"_Arrange Defence…"_

"_Ourselves." They both finished together and grinned at each other._

"_Creative thinking. I like it." Seamus said enjoying the twins joke._

"_How about DA? Dumbledore's army?" Hermione suggested and everyone instantly agreed much to the twin's frustration._

"_It's settled then." Harry concluded the meeting. "The first DA meeting will be held tomorrow at 7:00 pm here. Fred, George, Dean and Seamus it will be your responsibility to inform them and bring them here without detection." They nodded their head in approval of their responsibility and everyone left the Room of Requirement to enjoy the Saturday._

Harry was not nervous but excited to teach. He still thought he would not make a better teacher but he wanted to give it a shot since people were eager to learn from him. He sighed as he looked around. His clothes were strewn across the table with his books and Hedwig slept on its perch near the window.

His thoughts circled around a certain old man who he had refused to think about. He had tried desperately to forget about Dumbledore but his mind and heart had a different plan. They didn't leave his body and he was forced to think about him. Harry didn't know if Dumbledore was still in the school or not but it seemed to him that he was quite busy with whatever he was doing to pay any attention to him.

Harry tried but he couldn't hide the hurt he felt when he realized Dumbledore was ignoring him. Harry had grown up to love him more like a grandfather than a headmaster. He got up hurriedly, trying to run away from his thoughts. He dressed in his jeans and a blue t-shirt and ran down the stairs.

The common room was empty except for a chair near the huge windows. He saw Hermione reading a muggle novel. She smiled at him when he sat down opposite her.

"Up early?" she asked closing the book.

"Yeah." He said his thoughts still distant.

"You are worried. What have you been thinking?" she asking, creases forming on her forehead.

"It's…it's about Dumbledore. You know how he is ignoring me these days." Harry let it all out. He knew it was no use hiding from Hermione. She would find out one way or the other.

"You know he's not ignoring you, he would never do that to you." Hermione argued.

"But he's doing it Hermione. Do you have any explanation to the way he is behaving right now?" Harry lost his patience and he was visibly angry now. Hermione tried to make him see some sense.

"But there must be something logical behind his behaviour. You know he wouldn't do it otherwise."

"I don't know." Harry said slowly. "I mean…it happens every year. He'll hide something from me, then I'll assume the worst of his behaviour and won't talk to him, then I'll do something in a life threatening way and then I'll realise that whatever he did and hid was for my own good, so I'll have to go back all the way to apologize for my rude behaviour and then the next year will be the same. Why does he hide things from me Hermione? Doesn't he trust me enough? I've proved my worth again and again but still he chooses to trust Snape and not me." Harry took a deep breath at the end of his long speech and looked at Hermione.

Hermione knew Harry was confused and he needed reassurance. Ginny's words came back to her, _He might be brave and all but behind this curtain of being brave I know he's just a small kid scared of a thunderstorm._ Harry was just scared of losing the people he loved.

"He loves you, you know." Hermione said quietly and opened her book again to let Harry digest it for a while.

The words swirled around his head. _Does Dumbledore really love him? Did he love him back?_ Of course he did. He loved Dumbledore there was no questioning there. Dumbledore had stood by him when majority of the world had stepped back. He was the rock of his life, someone on whom he could lean on.

"I guess you are right." Harry said slowly and Hermione was glad Harry had seen some sense in her words.

"So…" she said changing the topic to a safer one.

"Hmm…" he said still deep in thought.

"I and Ginny are going to Hogsmeade today. You want to come?" she asked and Harry blushed.

"I….well….if you insist." he said sheepishly and Hermione laughed loudly.

"Oh Harry, why don't you tell her?" she asked.

"Tell her what? He said suddenly interested in his long fingers.

"Oh c'mon on, do you think I don't know?" She was enjoying Harry's discomfort more than she should.

"I can't Hermione. She is Ron's sister." Harry said as if it was an obvious fact.

"So?"

"So, you are not allowed to date your best friend's sister. Rule no. two of friendship." He sated as a matter of fact.

"What's rule no. one then?" Hermione asked frowning at his statement.

"You don't want to know." Harry smiled sheepishly and Hermione decided she definitely didn't want to know.

Before Hermione could say anything two seventh years walked down the stairs followed by a couple of sixth years. Ron came after half an hour followed by Ginny and the four of them set off to Hogsmeade. They discussed the evening's meeting along with a variety of topics which they couldn't discuss in the open atmosphere of the common room or the school.

They came back at around six in the evening and hurried back to their common room to change into comfortable clothes for the practice. The four of them waited in the Room of Requirement for the others. Harry's heart thumped loudly as he waited and realized he was scared more than nervous. Ginny grabbed his wand arm tightly when the door opened for the first time and he returned it back with a tight squeeze and suddenly he felt light. Maybe he'll have to dump the rule no. two of friendship after all.

The door opened and he saw Seamus walking in with a couple of students who were staring around them in an awestruck way. Dean walked in sometime later with more students followed by Fred and George who had bought the older students with them.

Harry recognized majority of the students. He saw Luna, Hanna Abbott, Susan Bones, Terry Boot, Katie Bell, Lee Jordon, Anthony Goldstein, Lavender Brown and many others who he knew. Majority of the people present belonged to Gryffindor which Harry was glad for, they knew him and he knew them. So he had an idea how to deal with them, whereas others were concerned he wasn't so sure.

Harry then stood on a small podium when all twenty five along with the others were present. He turned to face them and cleared his throat. He glanced at Ginny who gave him a reassuring smile and a small nod of her head.

Harry began, "Hello, everyone." His voice was surprisingly strong and confident. Everyone greeted him back with excited looks. "Before we begin I want to have a few words with you all. First things first, keep this a secret. Stop yourself from pilling the beans to your best friends or your family or teachers. These will be the basic rules. You are not to talk to anyone about this. I'm trusting you all enough and not forcing every one of you to take an oath. Second thing, make sure you're regular here. Quiddtch captains can come to me later on with their practice dates so we'll meet on the eve when everyone is free." Everyone nodded their approval.

"Next thing, the announcement of the next meetings will always be passed on to Seamus and Dean who will let it out to you all. For the next couple of days we'll be practicing the basic spells and then we'll start with whatever your syllabus is. Mind you, basic spells are the root to most of the complex ones therefore it is important for everyone to master them before we begin with the complex ones. Does anyone have any objection to this part?" Harry asked his tone authoritative.

"I think this is a wise decision, starting from the basics." Angelina said and everyone nodded their head in approval.

Harry smiled at her. "All right then, we'll begin now. Split into groups of twos."

Everyone obeyed and spread out into the huge room with their pairs. There were even numbers of pairs as they stood facing their partners waiting for Harry's instruction.

Harry got down from the podium and stood in front of everyone. "We'll begin with a simple disarming charm – Expelliarmus. You'll be shocked to know how many of you won't be able to do it in one go. So on the count of three; one…two…three."

A series of Expelliarmus was heard around the room. Only 15 people out of 32 were able to disarm their opponent in one go. "See what I told you. Not even half of you managed to disarm your opponent successfully." Everyone stopped to listen to Harry with disappointed looks. "This is the major reason why most of you aren't able to perform the difficult ones. But no problem, I'm here to teach you."

"The people on my left will cast the spell while the people on the right will let their partners disarm them. Then it will be the other way around." Harry waited till every one nodded their approval.

"Alright. Listen, the word Expelliarmus is made out of two words; the English word is 'expel' meaning remove and the Latin word 'arma' meaning weapon or the weapon. In simpler terms it means removing the weapon from your opponent's hand i.e. disarming them. First thing, hold your wand still in your fingers; don't loosen your grip on it. Hold it tightly and aim it towards your partner." Everyone did as Harry said. Harry surveyed everyone and corrected a few people who held it wrongly. "Now the next thing you need to understand is spelling it correctly, if your pronunciation is not clear enough it will set the victim's sleeve on fire. But if your spell is powerful enough it can knock your opponent unconscious just like a stunning spell."

"Blimey." Michael Corner said from the far end of the room. Everyone gave an excited look and got ready to disarm their opponent. "Okay, remember to spell it correctly and to hold your wand as tightly as possible, this is the key to disarm your opponent. Now, one…two…three…"

A chorus of Expelliarmus echoed around the room. Almost as twenty five students managed to disarm their opponents, this earned them a loud applause from everyone in the room. Harry personally went to teach the others who didn't manage to disarm their opponents and didn't leave until they succeeded. The other group of people finished in a similar manner; some succeeded on their first go while the others had to do it twice or thrice but they managed under Harry's constant guidance and encouragement.

The group practiced for another hour taking turns to disarm their partners. At around 9:00 pm Harry ended the first meeting. Several people came up to him to thank him for his lesson and time or to tell him how they had managed to disarm someone for the first time. Harry felt proud of himself and of all the others who had complimented and thanked him and who made sure he knew how excited they were for their next lesson. All in all it was a huge success.

-….-

A week later.

Location: Unknown

A tall, thin figure sat on a huge golden throne on a raised platform. His black robes bellowed with the gentle breeze. His long, pale fingers were snaked around his wand which he kept twirling in his fingers. His eyes were menacingly red which spoke of nothing but death and cruelty. His snake like features gave him an appearance which made the hair stand on the back of the person's neck that was unfortunate to see the inhuman figure. Death hung around the man like a best friend.

"Wormtail." He called out in his inhuman voice, authoritative and cruel.

"My Lord." Wormtail hurried forward with a hunched back and bowed at the figure.

"What is the status?" he asked, without giving the hunched figure a glance.

"Almost done; my lord, only a few more days. Lucius's work is almost done. He'll reach here in a couple of hours my Lord." Wormtail shrieked when Voldemort lifted his wand.

"Very well Wormtail. Summon him to me the minute he comes back." Voldemort finally looked at Wormtail.

"Yes my Lord." He nodded his head vigorously.

"Did Sebastian come back?" he asked further.

"No my Lord. But he'll come any minute now." Wormtail was still spread across Voldemort's legs.

A crack sounded some few meters away and Sebastian entered, his black cloak bellowing behind him. Sebastian Roberts was Voldemort's inner circle death eater which Voldemort prized after Snape. He had an average height with broad shoulders. His face wore an arrogance which rivalled Lucius Malfoy's.

"Still on the floor Wormtail?" he asked smirking before bowing before his mater. Wormtail squirmed but didn't look up.

"Sebastian, rise." Voldemort motioned with his hand and Sebastian rose and his eyes met the red ones.

"Tell me what news do you have?" Voldemort asked impatience clear in his voice.

"It's almost done master. We are just facing some minor problem with the giants and werewolves. Dolohov has already left with Rookwood for the mountains; Greyback will deal with the werewolves issue. Bellatrix has returned from her mission and she is currently helping Lucius with the one you gave him." Sebastian waited for his Master's orders after he had spoken.

Voldemort's lips curled at the corner. "Very well Sebastian." He said. "Soon, very soon…" and he laughed, a cruel and a high pitched laugh.

Thousands of kilometres away Harry woke with a start, sweating and panting rapidly; his scar stinging as a trickle of blood trailed down on his cheek.

-xxxxxxxxxxxxx-

Done! One more chapter to come before Christmas!

Hope you all enjoyed and loved it!

Review! Review!


	10. Hints

**Author's note: **Before you all begin reading with the chapter there's something that I've to say. I have made a small change in the last chapter: THE DA. The part from where Voldemort starts, I've made a change there. Instead of "**That same evening" **I've made it, "**A week later." **Well, I just screwed up the timings.

**Maesde**: Well, you're on the right track, but I won't reveal anything. Tune in for the surprise. Thank for your review. I'm really glad that you're enjoying the fic. Thank You!

**o-WinterQueen-o**: Thank you! Your review means a lot. Well, here's next chapter. Hope you like it as well. Looking forward for your review!

**Starzinmieyez**: Oh yes, it begins; the main part of the story. Thank you for the review!

…..

"Giants and werewolves? Are you sure Harry?" Ron asked, his face flushed and scared.

"Yes. That's what he said. That man Sebastian. He said they are facing some minor issues with them but they will be resolved shortly." Harry sighed as he sat down on the sofa next to Ron. They were in the Gryffindor common room late at night the next day. It was already past 1:00 am.

"You mean…he is…he is planning something big?" Hermione asked her voice trembling.

"That's the only meaning Hermione. Otherwise why would he bother himself with giants and werewolves?" Ron said, supporting Harry's thoughts.

"Ron's right Hermione. He is planning something." Harry looked over at Hermione. There were creases on her forehead and she was slumped rather gracelessly in her armchair.

"I think it is something else. You should tell Dumbledore." She said at last.

Anger flashed in Harry's eyes. "No." he said sharply. "And besides he is not there in school."

"But you need to tell someone Harry. You are not even supposed to know this." Hermione argued.

"But now I do and there's nothing I can do about it Hermione." Harry said, his voice raising with his anger.

"So, this Dolohov and another death eater left for the mountains, you said?" Ron asked diverting Harry's anger from Hermione.

"Yes. And if he isn't planning something then why would he send his own Death Eaters there? It's not like it's a very friendly place." Harry looked at both of them and then turned to stare into the fire.

"The giants are neutral." Hermione said suddenly.

Harry and Ron looked up at her. "What do you mean?" Harry asked.

"Over the summer I was talking to Remus about it you know and he said the giants are neutral in the war. They are not taking any sides. But if…." Hermione trailed off, worry evident in her eyes.

"But what?" Ron pressed further.

"But if they are lured or promised something, they will take sides." Hermione finished. The idea of giants siding up with Voldemort in the war was very dangerous.

"Then that clarifies it, Voldemort is luring the giants to take his side." Ron said, horrified at the idea.

"And the werewolves are a no problem. Greyback is already his most loyal servant and acts like the leader of his whole community. Convincing the entire community to side up with Voldemort won't be that difficult for him." Harry concluded.

"But still the question remains Harry." Hermione said. Both boys looked up at her. She straightened up in her seat and said, "Why is he collecting forces?"

Harry altered his gaze from her and turned back to the fireplace. He half expected Sirius to make an appearance there and tell him something that is going on, anything at all. He wasn't sure what Voldemort was planning but he was sure it was something big because he had said, soon….very soon. He knew something was going to happen. But what? A war? Wasn't it too early for a war? He had just gained his body back and Harry had expected him to take at least a year or two to regain and reorganise his army.

There was nothing in the newspapers that got delivered at the early morning breakfast. No news about disappearances, kidnappings, killings, raids, nothing was reported so far. It was like Voldemort had never returned back. But Harry had a bad feeling about it. He was sure something was going to happen, something very disastrous and big.

-…..-

Next day's early morning breakfast proved Harry's suspicions right. Hermione spread the Daily Prophet in front of her after the owl who had delivered it to her had taken off. Her eyes grew wide as she scanned the first page of the newspaper. The loud chatter of the Great Hall had suddenly died down. Ron stopped eating as Hermione looked up horrified and scared.

"What is it Hermione?" Harry whispered.

"Look at this." Hermione pushed the paper in front of Harry and Ron. Both peered over the paper. Harry read the first headline on the top of the page.

**MOVEMENT REPORTED NEAR THE MOUNTAINS**

A heavy movement was reported near the mountains yesterday. Several muggles claims to have heard huge bellowing and shouting coming from the mountains where the giants reside. The reason for such disturbance is yet unknown but it seems the giants had a severe fight, as traces of a fight can be seen near the foot of the mountains. The fight was huge as Dementors were seen late into the night hovering above the forest. Ministry has denied ordering the dementors there. So why and on whose orders did the Dementors attack the woods and what caused the giants to fight amongst themselves? Is You-Know-Who really behind all this?

Several sources inside the ministry reveal….

Harry's attention was caught by another news.

**DEATH EATERS RAID MUGGLE AREA. WHAT IS THE MINISTRY DOING?**

The Death Eaters raided a small village near Branton located near Liverpool. Many known Death Eaters were spotted torturing and killing women and children. Among the spotted were Antonin Dolohov, Bellatrix Lestrange, Gibbon, Evan Rosier etc.

A total of 500 people were reported dead in this raid while many are reported to be seriously injured, the number is still in the counting. The ministry is yet to give a public statement regarding this. Minister's personal assistant….

Ron nudged Harry with his elbow and pointed at another disturbing news.

**WEREWOLVES CHOOSE SIDES ATLAST?**

Last month the Daily Prophet had reported that the werewolves community has refused to choose sides, but last night it seems the community of half breeds has finally decided to side up with You-Know-Who as many known werewolves participated in a Death Eater raid near Branton…

Harry couldn't read any further. He slumped down in his chair and Hermione folded the paper. The atmosphere was glum and everyone looked tensed and uneasy as if they could feel the coming danger. Harry looked up at the Head Table. Dumbledore had still not returned; McGonagall had tears in her eyes. Harry's eyes met Umbridge's and she smiled venomously at him. She then gestured towards her copy of the Daily Prophet and gave him a satisfying smile. Anger boiled inside Harry, he got up roughly from his seat, swung his bag over his shoulder and left the Great Hall fuming in anger.

-…-

That night's DA practice led them towards a new beginning. It wasn't as enthusiastic as the last four meetings were. They had finally mastered the basics and had moved over to their syllabus.

"This is ridiculous." Anthony Goldstein said, withdrawing his wand. "I can't concentrate." He then went and sat on an armchair near the fireplace.

"Anthony's right. It's difficult to concentrate with what happened yesterday…" Luna said joining the already sitting Nigel on the couch.

Harry didn't stop them. He knew how difficult and hard it was for them to concentrate right now. He decided to end the meeting then.

"Alright." He said, his voice echoing off the walls. "We'll all stop for the night." Harry glanced at Hermione and Ron and then back at everyone else. "Go back to your dormitories and take the night off. There's a lot to digest." Harry sat on the podium and Ron joined him. Ginny, Fred, George, Dean, Neville and Seamus joined him. They sat in silence, like words had suddenly become meaningless and as if their silence conveyed the grief and worry they were all facing.

None of the DA left, instead they all stood looking at Harry with expectant eyes, as if they got reassurance from just looking at him. Hermione summoned some chairs and sofas for everyone to sit. And they sat, all of them, discussing the dangers of tomorrow.

Nigel was the most scared of them. He was still in his second year and had joined the DA two meetings ago after Umbridge had given him The Blood Quill detention for failing a test with just 20 % marks. Harry had seen Nigel crying on the stairs of the third floor and invited him to join the DA.

"Harry is it true that there will be no tomorrow for us, if You-Know-Who wins?" he asked in his childlike voice. The question caught Harry off guard and he looked at his fellow team mates and their expectant faces.

"Only if we lose Nigel and I don't think we'll." Harry said, trying to reassure the kid.

"But we are not fighting back are we? I mean we'll only win if we fight and I don't see it happening. The Ministry is doing nothing." The question hit Harry like a brick in the face. He turned his gaze to Hermione and then at Ginny and then at all of his DA.

He knew the innocent question which Nigel had asked was true; he knew they won't win if they don't fight back. But how are they going to fight back? What can a bunch of school kids do? _Anything they want_. A small voice inside Harry replied. And suddenly he knew what he was supposed to do.

"All right." he said, jumping down from the podium with new found energy. Everyone stood up silently following his lead. "We'll fight. We'll fight till the end. We'll win and secure us a safe and a happy future." Harry said turning to look at everyone before continuing. "And we won't be able to do it without each other's help. So, all I ask is your help, your determination and your will to survive."

Hermione looked at Harry with shock while Ron nodded his head already agreeing to whatever Harry was planning. "We'll do it, we can only if you all agree and give yourselves a chance. A chance is all we need to prove that we can fight shoulder to shoulder with the Aurors because it is not only their but also our home and future." The hair on back of Harry's neck stood up.

"We'll rearrange the DA into a defence unit. I'll train every one of you to fight equally only if you accept the danger and the risk. So are you all ready to take that risk and face danger? Are you all ready to give yourselves a chance to make a difference in this world?"

A loud cheer rose for the group as everyone shouted their approval. Harry looked at the determined faces of everyone. After everyone had calmed down Harry spoke again, "All right give me some time to rearrange everything. I'll let the date of the next meeting out as early as possible. But before we leave, I'll say one more thing. We'll need more people. So start talking to your friends indirectly…mind you not about the DA but indirectly about the importance of learning defence and fighting for yourselves, because in the end no one is going to fight for you…not the Aurors, not the Ministry, no one; but you, only you can fight for yourself and demand a place in the future."

Everyone applauded as Harry finished and Hermione hugged him fiercely. Many people patted him on the back; many thanked him for encouraging them in this time of grief. So the new DA will bring a new meaning and new a fight, Harry thought as he left the room with his friends.

-…..-

"Hey, I was looking for you in the library." Hermione said closing the door behind her. Draco sat near the window of the empty classroom on the third floor. He did not reply but continued to stare out of the window into the bright sunlight. It was two days later after the disturbing news of the raid had come.

"What's wrong Draco?" Hermione asked quietly as she deposited her bag on one of the benches and walked towards him. He still did not reply but he turned and faced her as she sat down near him.

"Are you all right?" she asked as she took in his appearance. He looked devastated and broken just like he had when they had first talked in the corridor.

"Draco…" she began and stretched her hand to touch his arm but he snatched her hand before she could touch him and pulled her towards himself.

She collided with his strong chest and looked up at him, shock evident on her face. He circled his arms around her waist and held her tightly as if his life dependent on it. She was on his lap and he refused to let her go. Something had happened, Hermione was sure of that; otherwise he wouldn't touch her like this, not after the agreement they had made about their relationship. So instead of pushing and attacking him, she lay silently in his lap, her head on his chest and his arms circled around her tightly holding on to her.

After what left felt like an eternity, Hermione stirred in his lap when she was sure he wouldn't say anything. Draco's grip on her loosened and she sat up straighter in his lap and turned to face him. His eyes were ghostly, haunted and he was in pain. Hermione got up from his lap and he did not protest but let her. She settled down beside him and turned his face towards her, he gave in to her touch easily as if he had surrendered himself.

"What is it?" she asked again, quietly her voice barely a whisper.

"It's over Hermione, it's over for me." he said quietly, meeting her worried gaze.

"What are you…?" Hermione began but he cut her off.

"My father sent me another letter." he said, his face empty of any emotion. He took out a crumpled paper out of his pocket. It was similar to the previous one. Her hand trembled as she took his letter in her hand. She straightened the paper and shivered lightly.

_Draco,_

_Christmas is nearing and I hope you haven't forgotten the importance of this Christmas. The Dark Lord needs your assistance in something important which he has assured me only you could do. So the date of your marking has been preponed* as The Dark Lord is getting impatient with his desired mission. So you'll get your mark on the day you come back for the holidays instead of The Christmas Day._

_ L.M._

Hermione looked up at him. She didn't know what to do or say. She was shocked and words failed her.

"I'm going to be given the dark mark Hermione, don't you have anything to say to me?" he asked, taking the letter from her hand and crumpling it once again.

"I….Draco…I don't want you to." She said in a small voice.

"Do you think I want?" he asked his temper rising. She shook her head.

"I don't really have a choice there."

"You do." They were back to arguing about the same thing; choices and decisions.

"Hermione…" he began but Hermione stopped him with a hand on his chest.

"Do you have to give in? Can't you fight back?" she asked desperately.

He gave a mirthless laugh. "Fight back? You want me to fight back Hermione?" she knew telling him that was stupid but she couldn't think of anything else. She wanted him to say 'no', she wanted him to run away no matter how cowardly that sounded. At that moment she wanted nothing more than for him to be away from his parents and The Dark Lord and all those problems, and if running away was going to solve that problem so be it that way.

"There is nothing I can do Hermione, my fate's reserved." He said, placing his hand over hers.

"No it isn't Draco." She said. "Tell me, do you want it? Do you want to be a part of them?"

"Of course not." He half shouted at her.

"Then, that's it. Don't be one. Don't go back." She pleaded.

"You want me to hide here, like a coward?" he asked disbelief etched in his voice.

"If it's going to keep you safe than bravery be damned." She said sternly.

He laughed. "I would have never dreamed you of all people to say that to me Granger."

"I don't care. I don't want you to go." She said softly not daring to meet his eyes.

He titled her chin up and forced her to look at him. "I would lose you if I go, won't I?"

She couldn't say it, so she nodded her head. "I don't want to lose you Hermione. But there's nothing I can do about it."

"There is." She said, holding his hand tightly in hers. "I don't want you to be a part of them. Nothing will hurt me more than that Draco. But you have changed and I like this Draco. I don't want to see it getting destroyed." Tears welled up in her eyes.

"What should I do? What _can_ I do Hermione? I should have stopped myself from falling for you in the first place." He muttered silently. "I can't protect you, I can do nothing to assure you, I have got nothing to give you, nothing that I can do or say will help you Hermione. I can give you nothing but hurt and pain and still I don't want you to go away from me. Still, I want to be selfish and hold on to you till the last breath of my life."

Tears fell from his eyes but he did not care. She cried too as he lay down in her lap and buried his face, shielding himself from the unfair world. He did not care that she saw him vulnerable and broken, he did not care that she saw his tears or that she saw him at his weakest point. He did not care because he had finally surrendered himself to the reality and accepted the truth that his fate i.e. his father had reserved for him. His pride had melted the moment he had realised he had fallen for her, he did not care about his pride or his ego, he cared about nothing but Hermione and the pain of losing her.

She bent forward and touched her forehead to his temple and they cried together for the future they could never have together. She felt his body trembling beneath her and she held on to him even tighter. She couldn't lose him, she couldn't afford to. She knew, after she felt him trembling and shivering underneath her that she had to save him, had to save his soul, his mind and his body and she was ready to pay any price for that.

She straightened up and guided Draco in a sitting position. He wiped away his tears as he drank her in.

"This is not the end Draco, not so soon. I'll find a way for you out of this, a way out for both of us." She said firmly as if trying to convince herself more than him. He didn't say anything but just nodded his head for her sake.

She collected his hands in hers and said, "Go and sleep Draco. I just want you to do one thing for me. Just try and think; if you chose them, you know you'll lose me. But if you survive the war tomorrow will you be happy then? Will you be at peace when you knew you had a chance at both; me and the future? Will you be able to live a guilt ridden past?"

She got up slowly and he stared at her dumbly. Her questions left him speechless. She collected her bag and left, the door closing softly behind her.

-xxxxxxxxxx-

Done! Yup, it's a new beginning for the DA now and for Draco and Hermione too. Hope you'll enjoy the new DA.

**Note: ** *preponed - means to reschedule for an EARLIER time. It's an Indian word.

**NEXT CHAPTER: **Harry's meeting of the rearrangement of DA.


	11. DA Core

**Author's note: **I know I took long for posting this chapter. But it was Christmas guys and I had to plan a party and look after all the arrangements. It's not a huge chapter since I tried to write it in a hurry. Hope I didn't keep you all hanging for long. Hope everyone had an amazing Christmas. The next chapter will be up next year! Hehe! So Happy New Year in advance. Party hard and be safe!

…

Harry walked down the stairs of his dormitory; it was four days since his announcement of rearranging the DA. No one had any idea what Harry was planning, but he had spent considerable about of time in the library researching something. He had refused to tell Hermione and Ron and spent the time alone. Hermione guessed most of the time that he spent was in the 'Restricted Section.' She had seen Harry carrying huge books on Defence into his dorm to read and she was actually shocked. Ginny had openly gaped at him and asked him 'Where_ her_ Harry had gone?' to which he had blushed to the point of explosion and hurried up the stairs.

Harry walked down the stairs, it was Saturday before noon, and many students were lounging around in the common room waiting for the lunch hour.

"Hey Harry." Ginny greeted him from their usual place near the window.

"Hey." He greeted everyone but did not sit down.

"Won't you sit?" Hermione asked frowning at him.

"No, we are going to be busy today to sit down and relax." Harry said, as he shifted impatiently.

"We?" Ron asked.

Harry nodded and said, "Meet me in the library at Hermione's table in ten minutes with Luna and Neville. Don't be late." Harry then walked away from the table leaving the three teens confused.

Fifteen minutes later Ron, Hermione, Ginny, Luna and Neville entered the section where Hermione normally sat. The library was deserted as it was Saturday. They saw Harry buried deep in his thick books about defence and did not notice as they walked in.

"Hey." Luna greeted as they walked over to him.

Harry looked up from his books a bit startled but smiled when he saw them crowded near him. Hermione looked at Harry; he looked quite enthusiastic with this whole new DA programme and she was right; half of the books which surrounded Harry were from the 'Restricted Section.'

"Sit down." He said as he got up from his chair and piled his books at one corner of the table.

Seven chairs surrounded the table. Harry stood near the head of the table. Hermione sat to his right, with Neville beside her. Ginny sat next to him. Ron sat on his left with Luna next to him. They looked up at him as he finally cleared his throat.

"Alright, I know you all have questions and want to know what I'm exactly planning. That's why I've called you here. I'm rearranging the DA into a defensive unit. This is going to be completely different from what we've been doing in the DA so far." Everyone's heart sped with excitement and curiosity.

"First thing, I've selected you people to be co-leaders with me." Everyone straightened up in their seats as Harry said this.

"Now there is a reason why I've selected you of all people therefore, I expect you all to live up to it." Harry said as he looked at each of his friend's faces before continuing further.

"Why have you chosen us?" Neville asked before Harry could continue.

Harry nodded his head and said, "I have chosen you all because I've found something in you that will help me in arranging the DA into a defensive unit. Hermione, I've chosen you because you are quite excellent in research and spells, I've chosen Ron because he is exceptional in strategy, Luna is excellent at creativeness, Ginny is quite skilful when it comes to developing new spells and you Neville, you are quite remarkable in medicine." Neville gave him a quite smile and Harry nodded his head again.

"So, starting from the very beginning, I'm renaming DA, we'll be called the Defence Army, with Dumbledore's Army as the tag line. In case if Umbridge finds out, it won't be a problem for him." Everyone nodded their approval.

"Next, we six will be called the DA Core i.e. the Defence Army's core team who will do the major planning and other stuff like planning lessons and all. The number of students is increasing so it won't be possible for me to teach each and every one personally. So, I'll teach you five personally and divide the DA into smaller sections of say 15 or 20 people and you can teach them while I'll float from group to group helping where ever I can."

"I think that's a good idea." Hermione said giving her approval.

"Apart from this I'm also planning to give extra lessons to anyone who is interested. Like for example, if there are few people who are interested in medicine, Neville can teach them after DA hours; same goes with Defence, Strategy etc."

Hermione had by now taken out a piece of parchment and was taking down everything.

"As far the secrecy of DA is concerned I'm afraid we'll have to have an oath in case no one betrays us. Hermione I'll leave the job of developing the oath to you." Hermione nodded at him and wrote down something in her parchment.

"We all are a team of around 32 which is not enough. We need more people. There a few people who I want to ask to join the DA because not having them will be quite a huge loss for our side. Ron and Luna I leave you the job of making a list of students who you think are good at something and deserve to be in DA."

"But how are we going to ask them?" Ginny asked, speaking for the first time.

"I've something in mind for that." Harry said giving her a small smile.

"Neville and Ginny I want you to come with me to the 'Restricted Section' now to collect some books which will help us in planning our lessons for the DA and shaping them up. By the time we are gone, Hermione try and come up with an oath and Ron, Luna make that list."

Everyone nodded at their responsibility and set to work. Harry left with Ginny and Neville. Hermione had already started scribbling furiously into her parchment. Ron and Luna were talking in hushed whispers about capable students.

Forty five minutes later they were all seated in their seats. Harry, Ginny and Neville had managed to find around 10 books on medicine, strategy, charms etc. Hermione was still busy scribbling in her parchment so Harry turned to Ron and Luna.

"Done guys?" he asked and Luna handed over the list to him. Harry's eyes swept the list at a rapid speed. He was quite impressed with their work, most of the students he wanted were already there on the list.

"Anyone else?" Ron asked.

"Luca Caruso. He is quite excellent in duelling." Harry said handling over the parchment to Ron to write down the name.

"Alicia Comrie." Ginny said, "She is good with charms." Harry nodded and Ron wrote down.

"Write Michael Jordon, I've seen him, he is quite skilful in Potions." Hermione said not looking from her parchment. Ron scribbled down the name and looked at Harry.

"I think that will do, plus the DA members will recruit some people as well. I just want to make sure they are included as well."

"So how are we going to ask them?" Ginny asked again.

"We'll write them personal letters asking them to come and join the DA. We will charm the letter using _revelare secretum persona praefinita_ it's a charm which is used to maintain the secrecy of the letters. The contents of the letter will reveal itself only when the person to whom it is written opens it."

Hermione raised an impressive eyebrow at him. "I saw Kingsley using it at Grimauld Place." He said smiling.

"So what do we write then?" Ginny asked

"Tell them about DA, what we are and our aims. Do not reveal anyone of your names but mine. Tell them if they are interested the next DA meeting will be held on Tuesday at 8:00 pm, where they have to come on the seventh floor. Charm it with a memory charm, I'll tell you how to do it later on. If they refuse, the letter will burn itself and their memory will get oblivated regarding DA. Tell them to write 'yes' on a piece of parchment within an hour if they accept and owl it to me. Also warn them not to discuss it with anyone."

Ginny nodded and smiled at him. He gave a grateful smile back as everyone set to work. They wrote letters to the new as well as the old DA members. Harry had a positive feeling about the new DA as he looked at his friends working with determination. Ron, Luna and Ginny were writing the letters while Hermione was still struggling with the oath. Harry offered to help her but she refused, trust Hermione to take help in something! Neville was reading a book on Advance Herbology and Medicine which Harry had found the day before. Harry looked down at his own book. It was Advance Defence and covered everything from non-verbal to wandless magic. He was determined to master them; he knew he'll have to.

-….-

The next three days, the new found 'DA Core' worked to their full limit after school hours. Hermione had finally come up with the oath and had started researching new spells for the DA. Neville had completed his book, made notes and had moved on to another one. All Harry saw Neville doing these days was reading and writing. Neville gave him an appreciative smile whenever their eyes met. Ron who didn't like to read was taking special interest in the strategy books which he kept near his bed all the time now. Ginny and Luna had already developed two new spells one of them being the Advance Bat Bogey Hex.

Harry had covered most of the theory on wandless and non-verbal spells and he practiced it with any of the 'DA Core' members. They were supportive and encouraging and Harry made it a point to teach them at the end of the day. Majority of the students had replied with a 'yes' within the hour. The DA already had sixty members by now.

On Tuesday evening at 8:00 pm the students arrived in groups. Neville and Ginny stood at the doors of the Room of Requirement rushing the students in as they came. Fifteen minutes later when all sixty of them were present, Harry stood on the podium demanding attention.

There was a loud and an excited chatter among the students. Some of the students were quite astonished to see their friend's present and hurried to talk to them about this. As Harry stood on the podium with Hermione, Ron, Neville, Luna and Ginny the chatter died down. The room hung with silence as every eye turned on Harry.

"Good evening." Harry said his voice strong and full of confidence. "I thank everyone who has come here tonight. I know a lot of you have questions which I'll answer now. So the first question which all of you have is, 'What is DA?" Several people nodded their head in approval.

"The DA stands for Defence Army. It's going to be defensive unit where I'll teach to fight back and defend yourselves in case of danger. As you all know the time is getter harder and it is going to get even harder tomorrow therefore it becomes a matter of urgency that you learn to defend yourself and your family. With the prevailing conditions of the DADA classes I think it is appropriate of us to take the matter into our own hands." This earned even more approval from the students.

"I'll teach everything you need to learn in order to defend yourself; ranging from basic to complex spells, non-verbal to wandless." An excited approval rang through the room.

"Second question is 'Why are we learning to fight' I'm sure everyone of you read the news of the raid, the giant and werewolves?" everyone nodded in fear and disgust. "Who do you think is doing it? Who do you think is behind all this?"

"You-Know-Who. It's quite obvious." Smith, a fifth year said.

"Exactly, he is gaining forces and it's time we should too. We can't sit back and do nothing when he is practically building an army. Though the Ministry might defy this, the truth is quite clear if you ask me. It's high time already that we should start planning and learn how to protect ourselves."

"Third question you all are facing is, 'Who all are in it and who will lead?'

"Yes." A few people said out loud.

"The DA will be led by me. But if you want another leader, we will decide it by votes. I, Hermione, Ron, Luna, Ginny and Neville will be the core of this DA. We will be the ones responsible for you in DA and if there are any suspicions roaming around the teachers; we will take care of that. We will make sure that you are left out of the trouble. That DA Core will plan the lessons and strategies and help you in whatever way we can."

"How are we going to practice?' Depending upon the number of members we will divide the DA into groups and allot days for the practice. That group has to come on that specific day to learn. If you can't make it be sure you let anyone of us know."

"If anyone of you wants to back out can back out now. You cannot back out once every one of you has taken an oath. So I request people who are not interested to leave the room. Once you leave the room, you'll pass an oblivation charm which will wipe off your memory of this room and meeting."

"Wicked."

"Blimy."

"Awesome…" was heard across the room, but none left; everyone stood their ground and Harry smiled.

"We are not leaving Harry." A third year said.

Harry smiled. "All right everyone move over to Hermione to take the oath. And then we can discuss the DA further."

After almost half an hour they stood before Harry again. "Okay, we are a large number. It' not going to be easy to organize everyone personally. Therefore, I'm electing house leaders. If anyone of you has any problem, approach them and they will discuss it with us. For Gryffindor it's Fred and George together, for Ravenclaw its Anthony Goldstein and from Hufflepuff its Ernie Macmillan."

Everyone applauded and they moved further with their discussion. Harry cleared several doubts and questions and they discussed even further the type of magic they were going to use. Harry was quite happy with it, since everyone seemed eager to participate and to trust him. Everyone present in the room that day had proved they were loyal to Dumbledore and that made Harry even more proud!

-xxxxxxxxx-

Done!

Next chapter: Draco's hesitation and doubts!


	12. Decisions

**Author's note:** Yes, I know I said there will be no chapter till New Year but I thought it will be good as a last day of the last year treat. Hope you enjoy! And don't forget to review!

**Hermionemalfoyforever** Thank you for the review! I'm glad you are enjoying the story.

**Maesde** Yes! And it's going to get even more interesting now! Thank you for the review!

**101FrozenFire101 **Thank you for the review! And yes Slytherins are coming with a bang in the next chapter. I hope you enjoy reading this chapter.

Thank you all for the reviews!

…..

Three weeks later the DA was in full swing. Everyone practiced to their full limit; they took the signs of the war far too seriously. Every day the Daily Prophet reported news of raids, kidnappings and murders. This was enough for the members of the DA to give their best. The DA Core sat till late night every day to research new study material or for their practice. Harry had started teaching them wandless and non-verbal spells and they were quick learners. By the end of three weeks, all the members of the DA Core were able to do wandless and non-verbal magic to some extent.

Umbridge was positioned as the Headmistress of the school; Dumbledore was removed from the position with the excuse that his presence was required more in the Ministry than in the school. Harry was sure this was just an excuse to keep Dumbledore out of Umbridge's way. No one protested or said anything to this decision as everyone knew it was going to happen one day or the other.

Harry and Ginny had come close due to DA meetings and practice almost every other day, though Harry kept denying it he knew the distance between them had reduced. Neville and Luna had started spending considerable time together at and after school hours, and they did look good with each other. Hermione had seen Ron looking or rather staring at Lavender. She had tried to talk to him about her but he being Ron would flush and move over to another topic.

Hermione was not happy but quite satisfied with the prevailing conditions. Umbridge had done and was doing everything to make their life miserable, including increasing restrictions to implying ban on stupid things. Hermione normally wouldn't let these things affect her but they did, mostly because they were wrong and were being done to control the students, when in fact Hogwarts was supposed to be a place of free learning and education.

But this was not the reason why Hermione was not happy; the only thing which kept bothering her these days was Draco Malfoy. After that day, Hermione remained constantly worried about him. He looked miserable day by day, there were dark circles underneath his eyes, he scowled more often, and his health was worsening. Nobody saw that but Hermione noticed he did not listen to any of his classes; he seldom did his homework and spent his time alone without his friends.

Hermione finally managed to corner him late on Wednesday evening in the library. He was sitting at her table when she came and smiled at her. She sat down beside him but did not take her books out but instead sat staring at him.

"What?" he asked finally irritated.

"Nothing." She said but still kept staring at him.

"Why are you staring at me?" he asked slowly.

"Because I want to." She said stubbornly.

"Fine." He said and turned to his parchment. Five minutes later, Draco put his quill down and turned to face Hermione who was still staring at him.

"Hermione what do you want?" he asked, anger flashing in his eyes.

"Answers." She said, not taking her eyes off him.

"Which answers? I don't think I owe you any."

"Oh! Yes, you do." She straightened up in her seat and looked at him curiously. He fidgeted uncomfortably under her intense gaze.

"And what are they?"

"Why are you behaving like this? I mean you are avoiding everybody even me these days and you're suffering." She said in one breath.

"This has got nothing to do with you." He said arrogantly and scowled darkly at her.

"Fine." she said sounding hurt and got up to leave.

"Hermione wait…" Draco caught her by her wrist and stopped her. "I'm sorry." She sat back down and stared at him, waiting for him to continue.

"Look, I'm just tensed. It's only a week for Christmas holidays and I'm…I'm just…"

"Scared and confused?" she completed for him. He looked at her for a minute and then said, "Not here, can we talk somewhere else?"

"Sure." She said and he got up, packed his bag and left. Ten minutes later Hermione left the library looking casual and met Draco on the sixth floor. Together they went to the abandoned classroom and locked the door behind them.

"So what is it?" Hermione asked once they had settled down near the window.

"You know why I'm tensed." He smirked at her and looked out of the window. It was pitch black but still he didn't take his eyes off the window.

"Did you think about what I said?" she asked remembering what had happened at that exact place they were now sitting. She remembered his cry and her words to him after that.

He simply nodded to her.

"And?" she asked.

"And what Hermione? Isn't the answer quite obvious? Of course I'll die if that ever happens." He said looking back at her.

"And what have you decided then?" she pressed on.

"It's not easy Hermione." He said in a whisper. "To leave everything behind and make a new start. It's not easy, it's torturous and it's haunting me now."

"Who said it was going to be easy?" Hermione asked half angry with him. "I don't remember saying that you. Of course it's going to be difficult Draco, maybe one of the most difficult things you'll ever do in your life. I know it's not easy to choose between your life and your parents but you don't really have an option do you?" she tried to be reasonable. She wanted him to understand and make the right choice.

"It haunts me Hermione." He said. She looked into his eyes as if to see beyond his spoken words and surely it was there, the fine traces of a horrible haunting, like a nightmare coming true.

"But you can't really do anything else Draco, you have to make a choice. It's just a week from now and you have to make a decision today or tomorrow." Her voice was desperate she knew, but she had to try her best to convince the Slytherin.

"You know I really thought about all those things you said to me that day, and that's what I have done all these days. I'm not saying you are wrong Hermione, you are right, hell yes you are. I want you and I don't think I'll survive without you and you are just waiting for my decision so you can make yours regarding us and believe me Hermione I want you to love me just the way I do but…"

"But what Draco? What is stopping you?" she asked when he did not speak.

"Even if I decided to switch sides, who will believe me? Draco Malfoy? The evil and arrogant Slytherin? I'm not the most loved person in Hogwarts if you haven't noticed Hermione. Who will give me a chance?" he stared straight at her and she saw the doubt in his eyes. She knew it wouldn't be easy for the others to accept him but she was ready to try. Hermione knew what she had to do.

"Draco, look at me." she said softly and he turned back to her. "Meet me here tomorrow at the same time."

"But…" he started but she cut him off.

"No, don't ask any questions. Just come, okay?" she asked and waited for him to nod his head. She wanted to make sure he would come and Hermione knew he would.

-…..-

It was still two hours before the DA practice when Hermione entered the common room but found it deserted. Harry and Ron would normally wait for her and then head together to the Room of Requirement. _Maybe I'm late_. She thought as she turned back on her heels and went to the Room of Requirement.

Opening the door she saw Harry shirtless training with one of the trainee the Room of Requirement had provided to them. It was an old and a rusty solider with magic as powerful as any witch's or wizards. When Harry saw Hermione enter he deactivated his opponent and made his way towards her.

"Hey Hermione." He greeted her with his huge bright smile which rivalled Dobby's.

"Hey. Wish Ginny could have seen you like this." She said and Harry blushed beet red. "Where's Ron?" she asked when she was sure Harry had lost his capability to speak. They made their way to the sofa near the fireplace.

"In the kitchen, nicking food before the practice." Hermione smiled as she sat down, Harry took the armchair near the fireplace.

"Harry…" she began, she knew it was going to be difficult to tell him about Draco but she had to.

"Yes?" he asked looking up from his book which he had taken from the table in front of him.

"You remember you said you wanted to recruit some neutral Slytherins into DA as well?" Hermione said and Harry nodded slowly.

"Well, the thing is Harry…I didn't mean to lie to you but I don't…I mean I didn't realize when things started to change and…"

"Whoa! Hold on Hermione, you lost me. Who are you talking about?" he closed his book and edged forward in his seat.

"Draco Malfoy." She said in a whisper. Harry had to strain his ear to hear what she said, but when he did understand his green eyes grew wide and his breaths came in small volumes.

"You mean…." He started but Hermione by now was close to tears. She had then realized that she had hid far too much from him and Ron. Harry was sensible to some extent and she knew he would understand but Ron…Ron was a different thing and she knew only Harry could make him see sense; that is why she decided to talk to Harry about this.

"I'm so sorry Harry. I didn't mean to do this. I swear I wanted to tell you when things started to change but I was scared Harry, I was scared of your and Ron's reaction." She cried openly now and she made no effort to stop them nor did Harry.

"BUT DRACO MALFOY?" Harry roared and got up. He started pacing in front of the fireplace with his hands clasped behind his back and Hermione realized how much he resembled a worried Sirius.

"I'm sorry Harry but he's changed." She argued through her tears.

"CHANGED? Yeah right." he shouted again.

"Yes Harry. He's changed, he doesn't want to become one of them, I swear Harry. And he's not lying."

"How do you know he's not lying Hermione? He might be using you to reach me. His father is a Death Eater remember? He might be…"

"No Harry, he's not." She said back more sternly than she intended.

"How can you be so sure 'Mione? He is…"

"Because I love him." She half shouted at him. Harry stood still, all movements and anger forgotten. He simply stood there in front of her. She was shocked too. It was the first time she had said it out loud and it was then she realised that she loved him too. Fresh tears rolled down from her eyes and she sobbed openly covering her face. Harry regained his lost composure and sat beside her. He took her hands in hers and begun...

"'Mione…"

"Harry I love him and he loves me too. I haven't said that to him but he had Harry and he really does. I've seen it his eyes how much he wants me. He just wants a chance to prove himself. He doesn't want to be like his father, he wants to be one of us." She tried reasoning with him.

"Why?" he asked in a low whisper shocked by Hermione's revelation.

"Because he knows if he choosed the dark side he would lose me forever. And I don't want him to." She looked at Harry with tear filled eyes. It had shocked him, no doubt. The boy who had made his life miserable with every passing second in this school now loved his best friend who was like a sister to him. He knew Hermione was not lying and he did love her. He could just see it in her eyes. Looking at those brown orbs he left like he was looking into the grey cold eyes of Draco Malfoy.

"What do you want me to do?" he asked silently.

"I want you to give him a chance through DA." She measured him with her eyes. She knew it was difficult for him to accept him, especially after what he had did to him, he had tormented and tortured him for all these years but she was desperate, she wanted Draco to have one chance to make a difference, everyone deserved it.

"Okay. Fine. I'll call all the DA members now and tomorrow. Today I'll tell them the decision of including Malfoy in the DA and tomorrow you can bring him to meet everyone." He said slowly. He then cleared his throat loudly and fell silent.

"You…you are not angry?" she asked not believing what Harry said.

"No." he stated simply but did not give her any explanation.

"But why? You should be." She said angrily.

"I can't be Hermione. I can't be angry with you and what good will it do? I can't lose you; you are my best friend and my only sister. I respect your decision. You are a responsible and an intelligent girl, you can decide for yourself. You know what is good and bad for you. I don't and I'll never doubt your judgement 'Mione. If he said he wants to change then you must have researched it well. And I know you wouldn't bring this up to me until you were completely sure of him." He said simply and she flung her arms around him and hugged him tightly.

"Thank you Harry." She said softly.

He smiled at her. He knew it was going to be difficult, to be in the same room as Malfoy and not kill him but he was ready to try, for Hermione and because there was no time for rivalry when there was a war looming at the year end. He wanted to finish off the house rivalry that existed in the school.

-….-

Hermione couldn't drift off to sleep. It was an eventful day and tomorrow would be even bigger. Ron had walked in a couple of minutes after their discussion. Ron had sworn, insulted, kicked and hexed. He was so angry that he even raised his wand to hex Harry who was trying to calm him. Hermione knew this was going to happen but she helped Harry to calm Ron down. They tried reasoning with him, explained and made a few promises and in the end when Hermione promised she would kill Malfoy if he ever tried to hurt anyone of the three that Ron agreed. He made her swear she would really kill him. She knew she would never leave Draco alive if he ever hurt any of her boys. So Ron had agreed and she was drained off her energy when the entire seventy five DA members arrived at a short notice from Harry. They were seventy five of them. Many students got recruited in the three weeks and they were all angry at Harry's decision.

But Harry handled it well. He made everyone see the disadvantage of house rivalry at the time of a war. He explained how things would go from bad to worse if they did not end their rivalry with the Slytherins. After much shouts and arguments the DA had agreed with Harry. They had decided to give the Slytherins one chance but they had also promised they would rip them apart if they tried to betray them.

So the only thing remaining was to tell and convince Draco about DA. She knew he'll agree. He'll have to, she thought.

-xxxxxxxx-

Done! One more chapter before New Year!

Enjoy and Review!


	13. Chance

**Author's note: **Happy New Year everyone. Hope everyone had a great start to this New Year! Well here's the next chapter. Enjoy and don't forget to review!

**Hermionemalfoyforever**: Hope I didn't make you wait for long. Here's the next chapter! Thank you for reviewing!

**Maesde**: Thank you for the review! Well here's that chapter which you have been waiting for. Hope you like it.

**Starzinmieyez**: Yes exactly. He's going to be different and very supportive of the Light side. Thank you for the review.

**x-FireEmpress-x** :Thank you for reviewing. Hope you like this chapter as well.

**101FrozenFire101**: Here's the next chapter. Thank you for the wonderful review. Enjoy this one as well!

…

"I'm ready to give you a chance." Hermione clasped Draco's hand in hers. "I'll give you a chance only if you are willing to do what you say, that you really don't want to be a part of them." Hermione's heart was beating quite frantically in her chest. Yes, Draco had said he wanted to make a change but she wasn't sure just how much he was willing to do at the moment. He looked at her with sadden eyes and nodded his head weakly.

"How?" His voice was just above a whisper. "How will I do this? The Dark Lord will send for my death once he knows I've betrayed him, my parents will disown me after this treacherous work, the Order will kill me on sight."

"I know Draco this is not easy for you. It takes a lot of guts to do what you are doing. Not everyone can do this Draco, to betray You-Know-Who and your parents and their beliefs. It's not easy I know, but it's also time for you to stand for yourself and to stop those people from pushing you. It's time you decide for yourself now." Her voice was soft and she squeezed his hand.

He nodded his head. "I'll do whatever it takes, I'll try my best." He gave her a weak smile and she returned it with another squeeze.

"How will you give me a chance? People will hardly accept me." There was doubt in his eyes and she could read it perfectly. He needn't tell her this but she saw the doubt he had placed on his capabilities.

"That is why I'm here Draco, to help you make a choice. I'll give you a chance but after that it will be your decision whether to accept it or not, whether you want to be a part of it or not. I can just provide you with a chance but the choice will be solely yours, I will not help you with it." He straightened a bit and was about argue but she continued, "No, not because I don't want to but because I can't. It's your choice Draco. I can be there for you if you want, but I can't make a decision for you. That will be your choice."

"I understand, you are right." he nodded his head.

"Fine then, here is your chance to make a change in your life." she shifted a little closer to him and he greatly accepted the warmth that radiated off her. His eyes were intent on her as she started speaking,

"Draco, a few months after school started some fifth year students got particularly scared for their practical OWL exams. And you know the theory-bullshit which the Ministry introduced this year led them to panic even more. You see some of them wanted to become an Auror and something like that. So many students approached Harry and persuaded him to teach them Defence against the Dark Arts, you know spells that we learn theory on and could be asked in our practical's." Hermione stopped to see how Draco was reacting to this.

"Yes Hermione but what has this got to do with giving me a chance?" he looked confused and Hermione gave me a patient expression.

"I'm getting to that part. It's related." She waited till he nodded and signalled her to continue. She took a deep breath and continued further. "So we started as a group of fifteen people mostly from fifth year who were worried about their OWL's. It was just Gryffindor in the beginning but I don't know how but the word got around and people from other houses started coming. The number of people gradually increased and so did our aim. Harry was just going to teach strictly on curriculum basis but the danger of You-know-who and Umbridge increased to such an extent that we couldn't ignore the possible signs of danger. Students were scared and when the signs of this possible warning war started; people wanted to fight; with Dumbledore gone everything was in danger. They wanted to fight for their only home."

Hermione stopped again; the next part was going to reveal everything. She just wanted to make sure that he understood correctly. She began slowly, "So we transformed this small private tuition into something in which everyone could take a part in, every student who wanted to fight for something in their life, and Harry was willing to give them a chance to fight. So the…"

"Wait a second." Draco was now sitting very straight, his eyes were bright and were entirely focused on Hermione's delicate face. "Do you mean to say that Potter is running a fucking illegal association right under Umbridge's nose?"

"An army would be an appropriate word." Hermione whispered and Draco had to strain his ears to hear her.

"Fucking army? Are you bonkers woman?" Draco had leapt out of his seat and was standing in front of Hermione as if he was seeing her for the first time.

"Yes." Hermione said in a small voice and stood from her place and walked to where Draco was now standing looking disbelievingly at her.

"We are now an army of seventy five. I know it's huge." She couldn't stop being proud when she said that. "I mean we gathered so many people in just about three months, we are still recruiting though, you know people who still want to be a part of this."

She looked up at Draco. He hadn't moved from his place nor did the disbelieving look which he had given her just moments ago.

"This is mind-fuck bullshit." He roared.

"Stop swearing Draco." Hermione was angry now. She had hoped for a positive reaction not some swear words.

"What? This…this is suicide. If Umbridge comes to know…"

"You asked me for it." Hermione said quietly cutting him mid-way. "You asked me for it Draco and I gave it to you." She looked up at him with a longing expression.

"What do you want me to do with it?" he held her hands and intertwined their fingers.

"Be a part of it." she said slowly, as her eyes searched his. He let go of her and turned to face the window.

"And how do you suppose Potter and Weasley will take it?" he turned back at her. "If you have noticed we aren't best of friends."

A small smile crept on Hermione's face. "They have agreed."

"WHAT?" his screamed at her. "They what?" his voice boomed in the empty classroom.

"They agreed." Hermione said in a low voice.

"I don't believe it. It must be some trick of theirs. They are not someone who will easily accept me." Draco shook his head in a disbelieving way. "Potter hated me since the first moment and Weasley? Well….I don't need a reason to hate Weasel."

"This attitude of yours is going to get you nowhere Draco." She screamed at him and then continued in a soft tone. "Yes, they have agreed because they realise that this war though it may be a warning one is far greater than you and me, greater than your rivalry. They realise it Draco, house rivalry has no place in this war, it will just weaken us even more and plus we are looking for Slytherin students who are indifferent towards the war. It will help us Draco. Forget it, forget everything. You said you wanted to make a change, here is your chance. Take it."

She held his hand and squeezed it gently. He combed his fingers through his hair, thoughts running at top speed in his mind. It wasn't easy. Four years of endless teasing and fights was not going to evaporate just because he decided to switch sides but he was willing to do it for Hermione.

"What about the others, I mean they are 75 of them. Some of them will kill me on sight."

"No they won't. They are very loyal to Harry. They won't dare raise their wand on you. If Harry believes in you, they will blindly follow his lead and trust you too, without a question. Please Draco. We need this and you need it too."

Draco sat on the bench thinking about everything Hermione had just told him. Yes, he wanted to make a change, he wanted to change himself. But this was a big step; to leave behind his past was difficult. He knew it wasn't going to be easy; to forget everything that his parents had taught him, to forget and fight against his parents. But they weren't really the best parents ever. They hardly had time for him as a kid and on second thought he never really knew them. Their presence was like a shadow in his life, distant and visible but unreachable. He had accepted this fact a long ago that if time came his parents would sacrifice him to the Dark Lord without a second thought.

His eyes found Hermione; she was sitting near the window lost in her own thoughts. His eyes greedily took in her features. He knew she didn't love him back but he was sure she had fallen for him. He had to make a choice. If he choosed his family who he doubted ever loved him he would lose Hermione who he loved with all his life. And if he choosed Hermione who he wasn't sure loved him back he would lose his family.

But Hermione had made a change in him, she made him look at the brighter side of life; she showed him a new perspective of life when he had lost all of hope. Surely, he was brought up as a Death Eater's kid; he had been taught all those vicious things about muggles and muggle-borns and how they did nothing but impure the wizarding world with their mere presence. He sighed as he looked at the muggle-born who had changed him, given him hope and made him lively again. He didn't want to lose her.

_To hell with it!_ He wanted Hermione above his family and his parent's love; at least she cared about him. He made his decision and walked over to her. Hermione heard his footsteps and turned to look at him. She stood in front of him waiting for his decision.

"I have decided." He held her hand in his and took a deep breath. "I'll join."

Hermione's smile grew wider as the realization of his words sunk in. "Thank you." She whispered to him. She was relived, she wasn't sure she could see his soul being corrupted by those merciless beings.

"Okay so there are a few things I want you to do." Hermione was all excited and business like again.

"Already?" Draco cocked his left eye brow up as she let go of his hand.

"Yes. I told you about the other Slytherins which we wanted to recruit?" he nodded his head.

"Well I have a couple of people in my mind who I want you to convince."

He laughed. "I'm hardly the right person for that."

"Yes you are." Hermione's voice sounded offended so Draco quickly stopped laughing.

"Blaise Zabini, Theodore Nott and Daphne Greengrass." She stated.

Draco looked genuinely shocked. "So you people do your homework ha?"

"Yes. These are the only people from Slytherin who are indifferent towards this war. And considering the boys are you best friends I don't think it'll take much to convince the girl either." Hermione sounded hopeful, a little too hopeful to be correct.

Draco sighed quietly and held her hand again. "Hermione I'll do it. I'll do everything you ask me to, if it means I'll get to stay close to you, so be it. I'll do it but you have to promise me that you'll try and give us a chance to happen."

Hermione knew this was coming and this time she was ready. "Yes." She whispered and a small smile spread across Draco's face.

"So tomorrow at 8'o clock meet me near the empty classroom on the sixth floor with the others." Hermione's heart skipped a beat as he answered her with a wink.

-….-

As planned at sharp 8'o clock, Draco Malfoy, Blaise Zabini, Theodore Nott and Daphne Greengrass stood outside the empty class room on the sixth floor for Hermione.

"This is bloody ridiculous. I knew when you fell for this girl you were going to land yourself in some shit. What I didn't expect was for you to drag us in this." Zabini said pacing the length of the classroom door.

"On the other hand I think this is bloody genius. An army? Seriously? Bloody good idea if you ask me." Theo said halting Zabini from pacing.

Just as Blaise was going to give a rather corruptive response Hermione turned the corner and they all faced to look at her.

"Sorry I'm late. Filch." She said, turning to look back the way she had come.

"Not a problem." Daphne spoke for the first time. She was shy and didn't open up to people around her, but she was pretty smart with good reflexes when it came duelling.

Hermione smiled as she turned to look back at the boys, "Okay there's something I have to tell you before we go. All 75 members are present today. Normally we practice in groups of 25 to avoid suspicion but today we all have gathered for you; so you'll come to know who all are there."

"Won't Umbridge notice that 75 students are missing from their dorms? Bloody big number if you ask me." Theo cut in before Hermione could proceed.

"Umbridge is not in the castle today. She has gone for some Ministry meeting and won't return till tomorrow." Hermione stated.

Zabini's jaw dropped open. "How do you know?" he asked before Draco could.

"Sources." Hermione smiled and continued. "So I'll be taking you there. You'll sit and watch people today and make your decision. You can talk to any one of us or directly with Harry if you have doubts or want to know something. At the end of the meeting you will announce your decision. If you decide to stay, it will be much appreciated but if you decide against it you'll be asked to leave; once you leave through the door your memory of the DA will automatically get obviated." Four sets of eyebrows rose as she said the last part.

"Secrecy is essential. We can't have Umbridge storming in on one of our lessons. So are you ready?"

They all muttered their approval while Blaise said something that sounded like…bloody Malfoy…Git…trying to get us killed. Hermione led them towards the seventh floor's Room of Requirement.

"Granger?" Theo called out as he walked on her left.

"Yes?"

"What does this DA stand for?"

"Dumbledore's Army. But mostly we call ourselves as the Defence Army, so it wouldn't land Dumbledore in trouble.

"Bloody hell." Theo responded and smirked at Zabini and Draco as they wore shocked expressions while Daphne's was impassive.

They reached the seventh floor and walked the length of the long corridor towards the end of it. A small wooden door appeared as Hermione walked towards it a few steps ahead of them. She stood with her hand on the knob.

"Ready?" she asked, smiling.

"As we can ever be." Zabini responded.

"Here we go then." Hermione turned the knob and pushed open the door. The small group walked in and seventy five pairs of eyes stopped in their task and stared at them.

-xxxxxxxxxx-

Done! I know I'm leaving you guys hanging but I promise there will be an update within two days!

Review!


	14. Acceptance

**Author's note: **Here's the next chapter, as promised within two days. Hope you all like it!

**midnightangel86: **Whoa! Slow down! Haha! Yes, it's coming. The parents are obviously going to react badly; you'll see that in the Christmas chapter. Whereas Snape is concerned he is yet to make an appearance. Harry and Ginny are going to get together in the 16th chapter and yes, Ron is on his way too! Thank you for the review!

**Maesde: **Here's the next one! Hope I didn't keep you hanging for long! For Draco/Mione's talk I did my best. I'm glad you liked it. Thank you for your review. I hope you like this chapter as well!

**Hermionemalfoyforever: **Thank you for reviewing again. It means a lot!

**Starzinmieyez: **Hehe! Yes, seventy five stares are definitely going to be very awkward! Thank you for the review!

**Legionary Prime: **Yes, I didn't like that part from the book as well, so I decided to change it a bit. I'm glad you liked it. Thank you for the review!

**Scythemaster: **Thank you. It meant a lot and I'm glad that you found it interesting. Thank you for the review. Hope you like this chapter as well!

…

Seventy five pairs of eyes stared as the small Slytherin group led by Hermione walked in. They stared at them with hatred and disgust mixed with malice and they made no effort to hide it. They openly stared and looked ready to murder them.

"I told you it's not a good idea." Draco whispered in Hermione's ear.

"Yes, I'm already feeling the pain of getting ripped apart limb by limb." Theo spoke, his voice trembling and Hermione couldn't help but smirk at him. After all revenge was all everyone wanted from them. Blaise just glared at Theo.

"Don't worry they won't as much raise their wand on you without Harry's orders." Hermione said as she gave Theo a broad smile.

Draco spotted Potter making his way across the room towards him. He turned back to the room when he reached them and said in a surprisingly strong and loud voice, "What are you all looking at? Time is already less and we have much to achieve."

To Draco and other Slytherins astonishment the students didn't fire back at Harry but instead took his word and began practicing again. He then turned to face the Slytherins and a small scowl appeared on his face which got reflected on the Slytherins faces as well.

"I'm glad you came." He said nodding at each of them, his voice strictly professional. They nodded back at him.

"I guess Hermione must have given you a brief idea about DA?" Harry asked making eye contact with each of them.

"Yeah. She did manage to give us a scare." Blaise said, trying to sound nonchalant.

"But it's amazing. Fucking army. Who knew you had it in you Potter." Theo said a look of amazement on his face.

"I'm glad you found it worth appreciating Nott." Harry replied raising his left eyebrow in question.

"I think we should get over this." Draco said speaking directly to Harry.

Harry nodded. "You won't be participating in anything tonight but you'll sit there and watch." He pointed over to the fireplace where there was a raised platform with a black couch and two armchairs. "I want you all to sit and observe. See how the DA works and what you'll get to learn if you decide to join."

At this point Draco spotted Neville Longbottom, Luna Lovegood, Ron and Ginny Weasley making their way towards them.

"They are picking up faster than we thought." Neville said addressing Harry. He did not glance at any of them but stared at Harry all the time. Draco then noticed the reasonable changes the clumsy boy had gone through. In fact he didn't look like the clumsy-and-forgetful boy but instead in his place stood a more confident and grown up version of him. His features were pronounced and he stared at Harry with a new found intensity. Draco raised his eyebrow at him when he saw his hand clutching Lovegood's.

"That's good. The less time they take to learn, the more we can practice." Harry said, patting Neville's shoulder in an appreciative way.

"But there are a few who are still struggling." Ron said, and Draco was actually taken aback with the formality of his tone.

"Okay, do one thing; make a separate batch of those students and tell them to be here day after tomorrow. I'll teach them personally."

Ron nodded and Harry turned back to face the Slytherins. "We are the DA Core." He said motioning to the six of them. "We do the major stuff over here, planning, teaching and all. So today you'll observe. You are free to ask any questions if you want and if you are reluctant or do not wish to ask me, you can ask Hermione or any six of us."

The Slytherins nodded mutely at him. "Okay then, Hermione lead them to the couch and resume the teaching I have to talk to a few people."

Harry and the others disappeared in the huge crowd and Hermione led them to the couch. The couch was on a raised platform which gave them a good overlook over the huge room. They could see what was going on, on the far side the room without having to strain their necks.

"I'll see you in an hour. Call me if you have any questions or want to know anything. By the end of the meeting you'll have to announce your decision." She then left and walked over to the left side of room.

The Slytherins were silent for the major part of the time, just making some comments here and there as the DA trained. Draco couldn't ignore it then, but he appreciated the effort Harry was taking. He saw him teach with his full dedication and power. During the whole meeting he did not lose his clam when he had to teach the same spell to the third year five times in a row, something which he would have never achieved without hexing the boy into oblivation.

And at that moment he couldn't help feel but jealously bile inside him. He traced Harry with his every move and he realized he had similar reflexes like him. He envied him, and Draco did not run from this reality because he knew it as true. Harry was far more brave than anyone he had ever seen or heard about before. He felt anger surge through him when he saw him walking with his head held high with dedication, with no trace of regret or worry. Draco envied that courage and will power with which Harry faced the world and which Draco could never have. As if Harry sensed his thoughts he looked up. Bright green eyes met cold grey ones and Draco suddenly knew what he had to do.

"Okay everyone." Harry said standing on the raised platform just inches away from where the Slytherins were seated. Everyone stopped in their tasks and looked up at him.

"I am very proud of you all today. You all have made much remarkable progress in such a short time." Everyone applauded with enthusiasm and pride.

"It's not every day that we get to train together, but today that we have I don't want to miss this opportunity. So divide into groups of twenty five. We'll play a small game." Everyone got excited with the prospect of playing a game and they immediately formed three groups. "Every DA Core member chose any of the three groups please." The DA Core members choosed their groups, earning excited whispers from their respective groups.

"Alright. Now I'll animate three opponents who you'll have to fight with whatever spells that had been taught to you till today. The group which destroys the opponent first will win and I've something planned for the winners." Everyone cheered and applauded loudly. The Slytherins themselves got excited and they could almost feel the tension of the three groups.

Harry flicked his wand and three rusty, steel soldiers appeared out of one corner of the room. The three groups formed circles. Hermione and Neville's group was on the extreme left, while Ron's was in the centre with Luna's in the extreme right. Harry muttered another nonverbal spell and flicked his wand. The opponents got activated and moved at the centre of the circle. Draco felt intrigued with Harry's powers as his eyes swept over the old soldiers.

"On the count of three. Ready everyone?" A chorus of yes was heard across the room and Harry started the count down, "One…two…three. Attack." The soldiers attacked the moment Harry's word got out and a chorus of hexes and spells were heard across the room. Some hexes missed the opponent and hit the wall, some hit the students but they weren't fatal, some simply vibrated off the walls.

Harry paced the platform his eyes intent on the three groups, shouting a few curses and suggestions at every group. The Slytherins were on the edge of their seats by now. Their heart raced with excitement as they saw the students trying to fight back their opponent who fired spells at the speed of light.

"This is fucking amazing. I cannot sit here any longer and watch." Theo jumped up from his seat and ran down the platform. He joined Ron's group in the centre. Ron openly gaped at him when he saw Theo running at him, his wand out. Ron's eyes almost came out of their sockets when he started firing at the rusty soldier.

"Look out!" he shouted at Ron as the soldier aimed a good stinging hex at him. Theo pushed the still gaping Ron out of the way as the hex collided with the opposite wall. Both the boys landed in a heap near the entrance of the circle.

"Thanks." Ron said, still refusing to believe that a Slytherin had saved him.

"Not bad ha? It's okay anyways." Theo grinned and Ron smiled back at him. They nodded at each other and fired hexes at the soldier covering each other's back the entire time.

"He lost it. Idiot!" Blaise said, slumping in his seat.

"You can't ignore it, but it's amazing." Daphne said her eyes still focused on the small battle.

"Yeah you can't." Draco said and Blaise raised his eyebrows at him.

"Are you saying, my dear Drakie that you plan on joining this?" he asked slowly, as if asking to a two year old.

"Theo doesn't seem to mind."

"And since when did you care what Theo did?" he asked, maintaining his calm and raising his voice a little over the shouts and screams.

"Look man, this is…look I hate to admit it but I guess this is the chance which I think I have been looking for." Draco said in one breath.

According to him, it was the perfect opportunity and he wanted to make the best of it. He knew he would never get another opportunity as good as this and the fact that Potter was offering it to him was least bothering him. He wanted a chance and he was getting it. Who gave him and who he was did not matter.

"I know. But the danger will increase. The Dark Lord won't let us live." Blaise argued. He wanted to make sure Draco had thought this through.

"We'll die anyways." Daphne said, joining in on the conversation. "Everybody knows the Dark Lord does not give shit about his followers. They are just disposable pawns in his game. And we are going to get disposed off anyways so why not do it with a change?"

She had a point Draco knew which Blaise wouldn't ignore. Blaise was intelligent and he had lost far too many members of his family at Voldemort's mercy than to the Aurors. He nodded his head to Draco. "Okay, I want to do justice to Uncle Ronnie's death. I'll want to make that git suffer." He hissed venomously.

Draco knew how much his uncle's death had devastated his best friend. Blaise was close to his uncle and Voldemort had killed him for a mistake so small that would have never come up if it wouldn't have been for Avery to find out. His uncle had handled the situation well but still Voldemort had killed him and since then Blaise had turned neutral quite openly. Draco nodded back and so did Daphne. The Slytherins had decided and they just waited for the meeting to get over to announce their decision.

The small battle ranging in the room was in full swing. Everyone threw hexes with their best force and energy. Some were injured while some covered the backs of others. There were shouts, screams and spells ranging and bellowing in the huge room. Luna's group had lost a chunk of students who were injured but cheering loudly, similar was the case with Ron's. But the most noticeable thing was Ron and Theo's chemistry. They constantly had each other's back and smiled and grinned when they stopped the hexes.

Finally Hermione's 'Expelliarmus' rang through the room. Everyone stilled as the soldier burst into tiny pieces. No one spoke for a minute but then a loud cheer and applause and whistling rang through the room. Everyone hugged and patted her appreciatively on her back.

"Excellent." Harry shouted over the applause and cheering. Everyone quietened down and looked at Harry. "That was wonderful. Now the prize of the winning group." Everyone's breath stopped as they waited for Harry to continue.

"The winning group will have this week off, and a party for all DA tomorrow at 8:00pm." The cheer and applause that rang through the room would have rivalled the cheer Hogwarts witnesses at the end of the every year. Harry knew they had been working their asses off for the last month and none of the students had taken a day off and they deserved it.

"So now every one of you can go and take a good rest and prepare yourselves for the party. As far the Slytherins are concerned…" he turned to face them and beckoned them forward. Theo rushed up and joined his friends. "They will announce their decision now."

He walked over to Draco and waited for him to announce his decision. "We have decided to join." Draco's voice rang through the room and silence hung in the crowded room. No one said anything and Harry stared at his once enemy. He gave him a short nod and called Hermione forward to take their oaths. After the oaths were taken he addressed the DA again.

"I know most of you still don't trust the Slytherins but I ask you'll to trust me. They have taken the oath in front of everyone. This is one reason why Veritaserum was not used." Draco and Blaise raised their eyebrows at this. "If they try to betray us they will be punished as per the rules. So we can trust them as long as we don't see them paralysed by the breach. The Slytherins will have to cover up huge portion so I want you all…" he again faced the Slytherins, "…to be present at all DA as well as DA Core meetings."

The Slytherins nodded. Harry again faced the DA. "That's all for tonight. See you all tomorrow." The DA members slowly started to pile out of the Room of Requirement. "Can you guys hang on for some time?" Harry asked as the Slytherins turned to leave. Draco looked at Blaise and he nodded his head. "It's not much; I think we just need to talk." Harry said, sounding casual. Draco found it necessary to talk to, how they are going to survive without taking each other's heads off.

After the last DA members left, the doors closed with a huge sound and the DA Core members slumped into the couch and armchairs rather gracelessly. The Slytherins, maintaining their pride sat with manners.

"That was one hell of a practice." Ron said, yawning loudly. "And now I'm hungry."

"So am I." Theo said, agreeing with Ron. Everyone looked at them with shock and Harry then realised how much Theo and Ron were alike. He shook his head and called Dobby, who for his embarrassment started with Harry's greatness. After Harry's failed attempts at convincing Dobby to shut up did he stop and brought some snacks much to the delight of Ron and Theo.

"So what do you guys actually do?" Blaise asked, speaking after a long time.

"We plan everything, from lessons to teaching materials to strategy." Neville answered confidently without spluttering.

"Interesting. When do you do this stuff?" Draco asked remembering how Hermione would disappear for days at a time.

"After the meetings." Ginny said opening a rather thick book from a near table which Draco was sure he would have never touched far from reading it.

"You mean after this kind of practice?" Theo asked unbelievingly.

"We are normally not this tired, since we train in groups." Hermione answered. "So we sit in here till the wee hours of the morning researching and planning stuff."

"Wow." Theo said, his eyes widening in surprise.

"So what do you wanted to talk about Potter?" Draco asked looking straight at him. Small creases appeared on Harry's forehead as he replied.

"Look I know this house rivalry is going to be a huge problem for all of us, it's inevitable. But the house rivalry will only prove to be a pain in the upcoming war and time. So I think it's high time we should forget it and work together."

Draco knew how much true it was. The house rivalry was going to be the death of them all if not stopped now.

"You do realise Potter that not all Slytherins will approve right? More than half of the Slytherins want your blood." Draco continued.

"I do realise it Malfoy but this is the only chance of making a change. I know not many Slytherins are neutral or against him, hell if there is even one but you four are. And I think it's enough to bridge the gap."

"So that is it then. We will give our best but you have to understand that it's not easy for us." He knew it wasn't necessary for him to say that but he just wanted to make sure Harry understood.

"I know. And this is going to work only if all of us are willing to do it. It will fail even if one of us backs out. "

"Don't worry." Blaise said. "We are Slytherins, we stay true to our word and when we commit, betraying is the last thing on our mind and believe me Potter you are not the only wanting revenge from that bastard. There are many of us who have lost a lot of people we care for at his mercy and I think it's time to end his reign."

Harry gave him an appreciative nod. "Okay so we need to find out a way to cooperate without harming each other. Any ideas?" he looked around the room at everyone.

"It's simple." Daphne said, "We spent more time together. That is the only way in which we can overcome each other's differences and actually get to know each other."

"This is brilliant." Hermione said smiling at Daphne who winked at her. Everyone sat in silence for a minute considering the idea. When Harry was sure no one would speak he spoke, "I think this will have to work since nobody can think of anything else."

Everyone nodded reluctantly across the room. "We spend majority of the time here." Luna spoke clutching Neville's hand tightly in hers. "So you guys can come and hang out anytime you want." Luna spoke as if they all had been best of friends.

"Yes that way we all can spend time getting to know each other and Harry can teach you all as well." Hermione continued already finding the idea brilliant.

"Okay." Blaise said, sounding not so sure of the idea.

"We practically stay here." Ron said leaning forward on his armchair. "We sometimes stay the night here when it becomes too late for any of us to head back." Hermione was actually taken aback from Ron's words. He actually liked the idea!

"Alright." Draco said as if settling the matter. "We will do it. We will come whenever we can and learn from you."

Everyone nodded in acceptance. "So what do we do now?" Theo asked looking around at everyone.

"The thing which we do when we are too lazy to research and plan." Ron said, a wicked smile already covering his face.

"Which is…?" Theo asked excitement clear in his tone.

"Plan horrible things for Umbridge!"

-xxxxxxxxxx-

Yes, the main part of the story begins now.

Next chapter: Draco talks to Harry!


	15. Shield

**Author's note: **Next Chapter! Sorry if I've been keeping you all hanging for long. Actually I'm writing another fanfic as well. It's a Twilight Fanfiction.

Now I know, most Harry Potter fans dislike Twilight but it's okay. I'll still be posting the link here because I'll be posting it from another account.

For those who like Twilight, please give it a go. It's under the username **'jsampada50'** and the story is **'Devoted.'** I hope you guys (I mean all those who will read it) enjoy it as well. It's from _Edward's POV! _

Now back to Harry Potter! (Personal favourite)

**maesde****:** Thank you. Yes, I did consider Harry/Daphne pairing in the beginning but as the story progressed I thought Ginny will be a better option. I think it will be Theo/Daphne but I haven't thought about it. Maybe it's something I'll know as I progress writing!

**101FrozenFire101**: First thing 'Happy Birthday' (A belated one. Hehe) I hope you had a great one and enjoyed a lot! Next thing, thank you for the review. The Slytherins training is going to be quite different from the other DA members considering they spent more time training with the DA Core. So, they will learn something different as Harry teaches _'Advanced Magic_' to the DA Core. So, it's going to be some new and powerful magic that they'll be learning. And a small part of that training is there in this chapter!

**Legionary Prime**: Thank you for the review! Yes, you are right; with Slytherins siding up with DA it's going to be difficult for her but not impossible. Your suggestions are most welcomed. I was actually facing some problems with what I could do about Umbridge; you might just solve my problem. Thanks- looking forward for your suggestion!

**Starzinmieyez**: Yes, exactly! They'll become friends as the story progresses further. They are going to learn how to trust and lean on each other. Thank you for reviewing!

….

"Okay all you need to do is go to her and ask her out for the weekend." Theo said slowly. He and Ron were huddled up in the corner of the couch, their heads together whispering continuously for the past half an hour.

"But it's not easy man, she is always with someone. They walk in groups like a herd." Ron screwed up his face and Harry burst out laughing.

"That…that was the most appropriate description ever." He said between his fits of laughter.

"It's true mate…" Ron said, giving his reasons. "Have you ever seen a girl walk alone? No, they have to walk in groups. I say, it should be banned. How the fuck is any boy supposed to go and ask them out if half the girl population surrounds her?" Ron was really angry by now and Harry held up his hands.

"I know mate. But you have to take chances if you really like her." Harry looked down at his defence book and continued with his work.

"He is mental." Hermione said. She was sitting with Luna, completing their Charms homework. Luna giggled. "That he is and if doesn't ask her out early, we all are surely to go mental."

Hermione smiled at her. "Where's Neville?" she asked looking around at the room and not finding him.

"He went down to the lake, said he wanted to pick up some plant for his Herbology assignment." Luna let out a sign and continued with her homework.

"Hey Hermione…" Ron called out from his position on the couch. She looked up at him and he gave her a pleading look before asking, "Lavender is in your class for Ancient Runes isn't it?" he again gave her a pleading look.

Hermione's eyes widened when she realised what Ron wanted her to do. She shouted at him at the top of her voice. "I'm not going to ask her out on your behalf Ronald."

Harry's book fell from his lap and he laughed clutching his sides. Ron blushed a deep red and Theo joined Harry in the laugh. "But…." He began.

"What but? Ronald. I'm not going to ask her or any girl out. Gosh! You have gone bonkers. Helping in your homework is one thing but this…forget it. And you both…" she pointed a finger at Harry and Theo, "…stop laughing now." Her eyes flashed with anger and both the boys turned silent.

"Okay..." Theo said turning to look at an angry Hermione. "Don't worry you don't have to ask anyone. Ron will do it. I'll help you."

"I'm in as well." Harry said and got up from his armchair and sat beside Ron on the couch.

"This is ridiculous." Hermione said, picking up her quill to finish off her homework. Luna had turned bright red, as she did her best to control her laughter. "Luna…"

Hermione scolded. "Alright I'm sorry." She said and turned back to her homework again.

Half an hour later Draco came back from his classes followed by Neville. Ginny had returned from her Potions as well. Blaise and Daphne were yet to return from their classes.

Draco sat next to Hermione who was reading handwritten notes on the Banishing Charm.

"Hey." He said as he sat down next to her. He loosed his tie all the while staring at Hermione.

"Hello." She said, not looking up from her notes.

"Will you stop that? I want to talk."

"Sure." She closed her notes and looked up at him curiously.

"Thank you for giving me a chance." He said slowly, avoiding her eyes. He had never thanked anyone before in his life. It was foreign to him, like all those emotions he felt when she was around him.

"Don't thank me Draco. If you want to thank, then thank Harry. If he had said no, there was nothing I could have done for you." Hermione said sincerely. It was true, if Harry had said no to the idea of the Slytherins, especially Draco joining the DA there was nothing that Hermione could have done. All hope would have been lost and she would have definitely lost Draco.

"I know, it's not easy for you to talk to Harry casually. But he deserves it. He gave you a chance which the world could never give you and with that he gave us a chance too, you know."

Draco knew she was right. He owed Harry a lot. He gave him a chance when the world refused. Harry accepted him and gave him his Hermione, when the world would have refused and done everything to sweep him off the face off the earth. He had to talk and thank him but the thing called ego, which was responsible for the hatred he got stopped him.

"Hermione…" he began.

"No Draco. Swallow up your ego. Harry has and he is trying." It was three days since the Slytherins had joined DA. And to say the truth, they had gotten fairly well together. Yes, they had fought, there were spells and hexes and injuries but in the end everyone was trying.

"Okay." He said finally agreeing to Hermione because it was true. Harry did not let his ego come in the way whenever he taught him something or the other Slytherins. He behaved the same way he did with his friends and Draco had to give him credit for that.

His eyes drifted off to the room and he spotted Harry near one of the windows. "Ah…" he said unsurely. "I'll go and…you know talk." He said awkwardly. Hermione smiled encouragingly at him.

Harry was standing near the windows, his thoughts far away from the present. He was worried, he still hadn't heard from Sirius. He knew it was difficult for him to write under Umbridge's nose, but Harry was desperate for a letter from him, even if it was just a word. He heard footsteps behind him and he turned to tell Ron that he wanted to be alone for a moment, but he stopped when he saw Draco standing there.

"Potter, I want to talk." He said, avoiding the green eyes as they burned holes at him.

"Sure." He said and turned back at the window.

"I just….look Potter. I wanted to say thanks." he said in a breath and looked up at him when he didn't say anything for a long time.

"You don't have to." Harry said after a long time. He measured Draco with his eyes, debating whether he was serious or not.

"Look I have to…" he began but Harry cut him off.

"Everyone deserves second chances Malfoy, even a git like you." A small smile played on his lips and Draco smiled back at him, relived that he didn't have to face Harry's ego.

"It meant a lot…you don't know Potter what I have gone through. It was…bad, my parents and everyone. I've suffered." He looked into those green eyes, wishing he would understand those empty words he had just spoken.

"Everyone suffers Malfoy in some way or the other. Jealously, love, hatred, is nothing but suffering with just different names. Ron has suffered and so did Hermione. I have too and so have you. Everyone does. I hardly think there is anyone who hasn't. It's a part of life."

Draco knew what Harry was talking about and he was right. All those times when he felt jealous of him for getting all those attention and fame, the hatred he felt for him, made him suffer, made him torture. Harry was right.

"But there is no suffering greater than the ones which your parents give you? Is there?" Draco asked, and he remembered all those times when his father had punished him for 'disciplinary acts.'

"I'm sorry but I cannot give you anything on this one, Malfoy. I'm afraid I'm not the right choice for this question."

"You've suffered a lot isn't it?" he asked. Draco didn't know why he asked him, he just wanted to know.

"Suffering has a lot of forms I told you Malfoy and yes I have seen some of those. Hatred for all those people who grew within the four walls of their houses, jealous of all those people who were within the strong confines of their parents arms, anger against all those who took advantage of the luxurious things which their life provided them with, fear of all those people who wants to take away what has been left with me." his voice drifted off and Draco suddenly realised how much Harry had aged in those words he had spoken. He was shocked to see that no 15-16 year old boy stood before him but instead he saw a grown up man forced into the body of a teenager and in that moment he knew just how much Harry had suffered in his life.

No one said anything for a long time. They just stood there buried deep in their own thoughts, far too much engrossed to notice who stood beside them. They had their own thoughts and opinions to consider.

"I did offer my friendship to you, back in first year." Draco said in a whisper, it was low and he was sure Harry had heard him.

"And I was placed in Slytherin by the Sorting Hat." Harry said, lifting his head and meeting the grey, cold eyes of Malfoy.

"Then how…" he was shocked. How the hell did he land himself in Gryffindor then?

"I asked the Sorting Hat to place myself in Gryffindor." Harry said slowly, and turned back at the window. Small flakes of snow were gathered on the ground, turning the brown and green thing white.

"And if I had been in Slytherin, there would have been no doubt who I would have befriended then." Harry's eyes first gazed across Draco and then at Theo and Blaise who had returned.

"It would have been you who would have helped me in fighting against Voldemort. You would have simply replaced Ron and Hermione in all those quests and adventures. In the end you were destined to turn your back on the Dark side."

Draco was shocked. He racked his brain and forced himself to think and imagine what Harry had told him. He imagined Harry accepting his friendship and being sorted into Slytherin. He saw Harry sitting beside himself at the Slytherin table and making fun of the Gryffindors. He saw their friendship strengthening and becoming even more powerful over the years and in the end there was no doubt that he would turned his back on the Dark side for the sake of his friendship.

He looked up at the Boy-Who-Lived. His eyes were staring across the grounds and Draco couldn't help himself. He knew Harry was right and he realised what position he now held and what role he was going to play at the upcoming war. It was bound to happen and Draco decided he would give his best in the fighting.

"I think we should head back to the group. There is something I have to teach you'll today." Harry turned and joined everyone on the couch. Draco stood at the windows for a minute longer and returned back as well. Hermione raised her eyebrows questioningly when her eyes met Draco's but he shook his head and mouthed 'later on.' She nodded approvingly and turned her attention back to Harry who had begun with the lesson.

"There are some boundaries within which your magic works. But if you break these your magic will work wonders." They were standing in the middle of the room facing Harry. All the furniture was huddled up against one side of the wall giving them enough space to practice.

"Today, I'll teach you that. I'll teach you how to break those boundaries and work wonders with your magic. You'll realise how much more you can do with it then just hexing. It is surly going to shock the enemies when you are going to show off how much control you have upon your own magic."

Harry took a step forward towards the group. "I'll need volunteers." He smiled and continued. "Blaise, Luna and Ron step forward." They did as told. "You all have already mastered the protective shield, so this will be easier for you, it should be."

"What I'm going to teach you now, is complicated. For it to work, the most important thing is coordination and trust. If you trust your partner it will work, a slight lose faith and it will rebound. Therefore, you will have to learn to trust each other blindly for this."

"I'll teach you how to protect you and your partner with your shield and fire through it." everyone looked shocked.

"But Harry, you cannot fire through your own shield, it will rebound." Neville said looking genuinely shocked.

"That's what I meant by working wonders Nev."

This was not something Draco had thought he would get to see. It was not possible. He had read every book that was there in the library upon self-protective shield and he had never heard anyone firing through their own shield and staying uninjured.

"Okay. Ron stand over there." Harry pointed his finger to the wall which was father from the group. He turned to Blaise and Luna. "Blaise stand beside me and Luna stand behind, across from him so that Ron is visible to both of you." They did as told.

"Now Blaise, throw up your shield, the strongest one you can manage." Blaise flicked his wand and a light blue bubble covered him from head to foot. It was like a wall between him and Ron that stretched left and right and covered Luna.

"Okay, now concentrate on what I say." Harry moved an inch closer to Blaise, his green eyes shining with enthusiasm. "Do you know where your magical core is situated Blaise?"

Blaise nodded and said, "Hands." Small beads of sweat rolled off his forehead.

"Excellent, now concentrate on your core. Throw out as much energy and magic as you can upon your shield. Look inside you Blaise, and push it out with all your strength. The body stores extra amount of magic, just like energy, find it and push it out with your hands. Concentrate."

The tension in the room increased as Blaise concentrated. His face was shining but tensed. He had closed his eyes in concentration. Hermione's breath was etched in her chest and she held Draco's hand who squeezed hers in return. Ginny looked worriedly at Harry.

Just then, Blaise's hands shined with energy and he opened his eyes. "Brilliant Blaise" Harry said, moving closer to him. "Now, stretch your hands forward and touch your shield." Blaise did as told. He spread his fingers against the light blue wall of his shield.

"Now, Try to lift it up." Blaise looked shockingly at Harry, who gave him a trust-me look. Blaise nodded, "How?"

"Just like you did with your core. Use the energy from your hands and spread it against your shield. Feel your shield, not with your hands but within you. Unless you don't make your shield a part of you, it won't move. Feel it inside you with the help of the energy that you created. Feel and make it a part of you, stretch your fingers and feel it. See how your shield has surrounded you, look how it is curved and imprint it upon yourself. Know your shield Blaise, every crack, every curve, let it get and be a part of you."

It took more than five minutes for Blaise to do that. His face was now covered with sweat and it rolled off his face as he concentrated with closed eyes. "Done." He said as his fingers spread against his shield, like a traveller knowing his way around with blind eyes.

"Now try to lift it up." Harry said slowly and Blaise screwed up his face in concentration again as he attempted to lift his wall. "Let your fingers guide you Blaise. Lift it when you are ready."

Harry had a lot of patience, he stood beside Blaise and encouraged him, guided him as he attempted to lift his shield. At the fifth try Blaise lifted the shield, effortlessly, like it was weightless.

"Excellent Blaise." Harry said, bouncing with excitement. He then turned to Luna. "Luna, now listen to me. Just when Blaise lifts his shield I want you to fire Stupefy at Ron. But you have to be careful. You have to concentrate on Blaise and his shield. He will lift it off just enough for your Stupefy to pass. You have to measure it cleverly. If you mess up, it will rebound on both of you."

Luna nodded and stretched her wand arm forward. "Blaise lift your shield." Harry instructed and Blaise did as told. He lifted his shield, Luna's eyes were trained on Blaise and just as he created enough space for her spell to pass she cried, "Stupefy."

The spell passed effortlessly between his shield and threw Ron across the room. Blaise restored his wall, amazed and shocked. Harry smiled with satisfaction. Blaise threw his shield down and faced Harry. Everyone was silent with shock at what they had just seen. Luna had indeed fired a stupefy from Blaise's shield without injuring either of them.

"Blimy Harry." Ron said, walking over to him.

"That was…brilliant." Blaise said, panting a little.

"Harry…"Hermione began but Harry cut her off.

"I was reading on the limitations of shields and how you can alter and work with them. And this just struck me, you know." Harry said a little embarrassed.

"It was amazing." Draco said and Harry nodded appreciatively at him.

"Okay, now I want you all to practice it. It's going to take some time to get used to it. But once you do, it will be just a game of seconds but keep changing your partners. It'll help."

They did as he told. And they practiced; first out of curiosity and then out of understanding. They knew in order to win against the Death Eaters they had to do something more powerful, something that will throw the Death Eaters off guard. They took the option of surprise pretty seriously. They were going to face the Death Eaters with spells they had never seen or even knew existed.

-xxxxxxxxxxxx-

Done! I hope you guys enjoyed it because I definitely did when I wrote it.

Review! Review!


	16. Ancient Magic

**Author's note: **Next chapter. It took a while for me to write. But I did my best. Hope you all enjoy it!

**Maesde: **Thank you. I just had this idea that Draco should talk to Harry. Glad that you liked it.

**Legionary Prime**: Yes, I looked up the video and it's amazing. I'm definitely going to use that. You actually solved my problem. Thank you!

**101FrozenFire101**: Thank you. Actually, the shield thing, I read something similar to this a couple of days ago and tried to modify it and I came up with this. I'm glad that you liked it. I read a lot of Draco/Hermione and Harry/Ginny fanfics to keep writing. Perhaps you can recommend some Draco/Hermione?

**hptrump**: Thank you for reviewing. Glad that you are enjoying the story.

**CookieMonstaGirl**: Yes, because I looked your work and thought it would be useful to have your review. Thank you!

…..

They all unknowingly and surprisingly met on the seventh floor corridor. Everyone's eyebrows rose in surprise and after exchanging a few pleasantries and nod in case of Slytherins they headed towards the Room Of Requirement. It was late on Saturday night and they all had planned to stay the night there. There was so much yet to be done; many lessons and study to research and strategies to plan. They knew the school wasn't that much protected with Dumbledore gone, therefore Harry had taken it upon himself not to ignore it.

"Where's Potter?" Draco asked politely. After his much normal talk with him, he grew to show some respect towards him.

"He said he would meet us directly in the room." Hermione answered walking beside him. She gave him a shy smile and he winked at her in return.

"So Weasley, how are you holding up with Brown? The last I heard Theo helped you send a letter to her and it ended up with the wrong Lavender instead." Blaise smirked at his own words and faced a much redder Ron who tried desperately to avert his eyes.

"What?" Hermione and Ginny shrieked together.

"It was rather….hilarious." Blaise said, glancing at Theo and Ron in turn.

"It was a perfect plan." Theo said, rushing forward to keep pace with Blaise, "…until Ron messed up." He looked at Ron with accusing eyes.

"I didn't mess up…" Ron started but Theo cut in,

"How can you be so sure of that?"

"Because there was nothing to mess up with." Ron said, turning even redder.

"Then how the hell did that blasted owl land up with that Ravenclaw Lavender? My plan was perfect." Theo said, slowing his pace and falling in line with Ron.

"How would I know? All I…"

"Oh! Just stop it, will you guys?" Draco hissed angrily. "You…" he said pointing at Ron, "…are just incapable of asking a girl out and you…" he then pointed at Theo, "….are just filled with rotten plans and strategies to the point that they smell."

Hermione and Ginny burst out laughing at Theo's expression. Blaise joined in when he couldn't control any longer, Neville and Luna had already joined Hermione and Ginny in the laugh. A smile twitched on Draco lips but he controlled for the effect of his words.

They had reached the door which had materialized in front of them and Draco turned the knob of the door. He walked in first and stopped dead in his tracks, shocked by what he saw in there. The others collided against him unceremoniously, as he got pushed inside the room gracelessly.

"What the hell Draco?" Daphne said, straightening up and brushing her robe.

"Can't you tell Malfoy and you are just…whoa!" he said as his eyes followed to where Draco's eyes were trained unblinkingly.

They all turned to stare where the two boys were staring and their eyes almost popped out of their sockets at what they saw. Ginny trembled and clutched on to Hermione who gripped Daphne by her arm. Daphne held on to Hermione for support while the boys stood transfixed, like rooted to the spot. If fire would have engulfed Hogwarts still the nine teens standing in the doorway wouldn't have noticed. The door of the room shut with a loud bang and the teens were brought out of there daze.

A large lion made of fire stood before them, circling Harry. He was shirtless with faint burn marks on his torso and shoulders. The fire rushed around the lion, making faint gushing sound. The heat of the fire that radiated off the lion was enough for the school to burn down to ashes but surprisingly it did not. The fire stayed in control, swaying freely around the lion. The muscles made of fire were rippling beneath the lion, its golden mane; a ring of fire burned around its face. The fiercer eyes, quite having the potential to crush anyone who came within its sight, held a strength that coiled like a spring in them. The most remarkable were its teeth, long and pointed, made of fire which gave it the appearance of blood coated on them, likely of the last victim it had just hunted and enjoyed.

It gave a loud roar, the kind which sends shiver down your spine, the one which makes you cover behind a table with your hands over your head, and the one which even makes the bravest of brave…a coward. Yet, Harry stood where he was. His eyes never left the huge animal in front of him. Their eyes were locked with one another. Harry squared his shoulders and stood up even straighter like trying to intimidate it but the animal imitated Harry and tried intimidating Harry by standing on his all fours and leaning forward, fire leaping out of its nostrils and towards Harry.

As the fire reached Harry, Ginny broke out of her trance and shouted, "HARRY." Her voice was like a desperate plea for help and Harry immediately looked over at his audience. He was caught off guard and the lion took advantage of Harry's distraction. It roared and stood on its hinges before leaping at Harry. Its head collided with Harry's front and passed right through him and the huge lion disappeared into thin air.

Ginny would have collapsed if Luna wouldn't have caught her. She stumbled with the sudden weight of Ginny and collided against Neville's chest who immediately caught the two girls from falling on him. Luna turned and gave Neville a grateful smile before helping Ginny into a standing position. She ran at Harry with top speed, as if her life depended on it. She threw her arms around him and cried into his shoulder all the while muttering things like, idiot…git…trying to suicide…

The others slowly made their way to Harry who had his arms around Ginny. He patted her back and untangled her from around his neck. He looked at the tears in her face and wiped them with his thumb.

"I'm fine Ginny." He said, softly; his arms never leaving the younger girl.

"What the hell was that Potter?" Blaise asked, his tone stunned and his face expressionless.

Harry looked over at them, a bit startled at their sudden appearance. He was so engrossed with Ginny that he missed them coming towards him. He took in the appearance of them. Draco's eyes were wide with surprise, Theo and Ron wore shocking expressions, Hermione was on the verge of crying, Luna smiled appreciatively at him, and Neville had an awed expression on his face.

"Well, it was just some kind of magic, you know…" he said, offering a weak explanation of what he was just doing. He combed his fingers in his hair. "…it's something that I have been studying around lately. I wanted to tell you guys, but I wanted to perfect it before I could expose it to you all."

He looked around sheepishly at them and they let a huge sigh which they hadn't realised they had been holding.

"Come here, I'll heal your injurious." Hermione said approaching the couch. They all headed toward the sitting place and took up various places to sit.

"That looked dangerous." Hermione said slowly as she healed the burn marks on his shoulder with her wand.

"It wasn't Hermione. It's a kind of magic that you can control. Nothing harmful." Harry said, wincing slightly as her wand touched an inflamed wound on his torso.

"Sorry." She said softly as she muttered another healing spell under her breath.

"It's alright." Harry said softly and smiled at her.

Draco's mind was going haywire. He still couldn't believe what he saw. He knew what it was, an ancient magic, he had read about it. Never in his life had he imagined he would get to see it. It was a different kind of magic; he knew that, he could just feel it in him. It was a kind which a normal wizard couldn't control. Only a powerful, an extremely powerful and controlled wizard could do it, his father had told him. He sensed that from the power the lion radiated off as he had stared at Harry. And Draco, in that moment realized just how much powerful Harry was. He needed to talk to him. He looked at Harry and found him staring at him already. Harry had already sensed the inner turmoil of Draco. He nodded silently at him and Draco got up from his seat and walked over to the windows.

His father had sent him a letter that day, alerting of the big night that was on Christmas Eve, and he could feel dread and fear creep in him. He was yet to reply, and he didn't know what he was going to say, _Sorry father, I switched sides? Or Sorry father, I just realised that I have fallen in love and wish to live for and with it?_ His father would hex and curse him into next century. His mother would be accepting he knew that. Even if, Hermione was a muggle she would accept her, for Draco's sake and his happiness.

He was deep in his thoughts. He knew he was not returning home for Christmas and that would give away his intentions of not returning and joining the Dark Lord in his cruel quest of conquering the world. Maybe he would be spared of writing his reply…

"Malfoy…" Harry called out from his right. He somehow failed to notice Harry's appearance on his side.

"Potter." He gave him a small nod, an acknowledging one.

"What is it?" Harry said, staring ahead of him. Draco's eyes never left Harry.

"What you were just doing…" he started but Harry cut him off.

"Yes, it's an ancient magic Malfoy and I know you recognized it. I could see it on your face, you knew what it was." Harry was now looking at Draco with curiosity. He wanted to know how Draco knew about it.

"My father told me about it." he said slowly, almost in a whisper and he saw Harry tense at the mere mention of his father.

"You lied to Hermione. It's dangerous and definitely harmful." Draco continued.

"I had to. She's always the caring one." Harry looked back over his shoulder and at Hermione. Draco followed his gaze and his Hermione was in the middle of a chasing game with Ginny. He smiled _his _Hermione. He liked how that sounded, possessive….very possessive.

"I couldn't tell her. She would never let me do it then." Harry smiled at his own words. All these years of their trio's friendship…it was just something he was proud of. He had seen many friendships breaking and never healing back and he was just glad that he's was the only one that had stayed intact over the years.

"Who taught you?" Curiosity was now getting better of him.

"No one. I learnt it on my own." Harry said casually as if he had completed his Charms homework without Hermione's help.

Whatever it was Draco wasn't ready for this answer. He learnt it on his own? It was impossible. It's just not possible…it caught him off guard. He remembered his father telling him that it's not possible; it's dangerous and requires a lot of energy. And Harry had learnt it on his own without any help was just…he couldn't get any word that couldn't describe what he felt…maybe awed?

It was an ancient one…very ancient. In fact the last person to do that was in fact Godric Gryffindor himself. That is why the symbol of Gryffindor was a lion. All the other founders had similar powers. Slytherin could create a snake like the lion, Rowena – an eagle and Helga –a badger. The magic of that intensity and strength was never seen again. In fact many of Godric's descendants had tried it. The most anyone was ever able to achieve was a faint whip of fire which he wasn't able to control and that had left him dead….burnt from head to foot.

"How?" Draco spluttered recovering from the shock.

"I don't know." Harry said sincerely. "I did research on that a little but I didn't find any, partly because there wasn't really anyone who could do it and Godric didn't leave any records behind. I personally went through all the books related to this in the library and in 'the Restricted Section' but there isn't anything in them too." Harry stopped and when Draco was sure Harry wouldn't speak he asked,

"And the other?"

"Well, I'm not sure what it is but…I think I have some extra magic, I mean it's incredibly difficult to learn wandless magic and yet it came to me like its second nature to me. And it's been so difficult for others to grasp, a simple concept which took me a minute to understand, it took them hours to learn. It's bizarre, I really don't understand it."

Draco was actually shocked. He hadn't hoped for Harry to open up to so much not with the obvious enmity they had between them, like the past never happened.

"How can you trust me so much?" Draco asked before he could comprehend what he was going to say.

"Because you mean no harm Malfoy." Harry said immediately as if he had known the answer all along.

"No, I mean how can you be so sure?" Draco still didn't understand how Harry could trust him so easily, especially when he knew who his father was.

"Dumbledore isn't mental to tell that love is the only thing which will ultimately save us you know." Harry said in a whisper, this thoughts far away to his old mentor.

"I don't get…" Draco started but Harry answered him again before he could finish.

"Love saved you Malfoy from turning over to the Dark Side."

When Draco still gave him a confused look he let out a sigh and Draco felt like a stupid child who couldn't grasp on the spelling of a simple word as '_Apple.'_

"Your love for Hermione saved you from the Dark side Malfoy, that it what it all comes to in the end. Love and Dumbledore isn't really mental to say that."

That had Draco thinking. He knew Harry was right yet again. It was truly his love for Hermione that had saved him. He knew fairly well that if he hadn't loved her he would have been very proudly replying to his father saying how much eager he was to serve the Dark Lord.

"You told her?" Harry asked bringing Draco back from his reverie.

"What?" Draco asked momentarily confused by what Harry asked.

"That you love her." he said rolling his eyes.

"No." Draco said, turning away from him.

"Then you should. Because others are not going to wait for long you know." Harry didn't know why he said that to Draco, but it was true. Since they had returned to Hogwarts he had seen many boys were staring at her and she had been the topic of discussion behind closed doors of the boys dorm as well.

"WHAT?" he said almost too loudly but hushed up when he got stared.

Harry chuckled. "Yes, she's been quite a topic of discussion since she wore those jeans to the station instead of robes."

Draco instantly felt jealously bile inside him. He hadn't seen her on the station that meant he missed which something the other boys got to see and that made him even angrier.

"Tell her…she is waiting." Harry said slowly. A few years ago Harry would have sliced his tongue off then to tell Draco this but at that moment it felt right and Harry couldn't think of anyone more perfect than Malfoy even if it made him a little uneasy.

Harry turned to leave and suddenly Draco felt like he owed Harry something. "Potter." He said and Harry stopped and turned to stare at Draco.

"I…I think I can help you." He said, his voice sounding unsure.

"With what?" it was Harry's turn to sound confused.

Draco rolled his eyes at him. "With your powers thing you know."

"How?" Harry asked curiously, he was desperate for answers.

"I'm not sure how but I think the 'Restricted Section can help us." He was not sure himself but he wanted to help.

"I tried the entire library. There isn't anything."

"No, maybe if we search for something else related to your powers, I mean like what makes you stronger than others, then maybe you'll find some answers."

Harry realised he hadn't done that. He had only researched the fire thing and stuff related to that. Maybe Draco could be right. Maybe the fire could be related to his powers. Maybe he hadn't looked for the right thing. He let out a small sign as he realised he had researched the wrong thing the entire time.

"Well I think you are right. I just looked up things related to fire and not what made wizards truly powerful. So I guess the…"

Harry couldn't finish the sentence. A loud crash was heard and Harry and Draco whipped out their wand turning back at the room. The couch was turned over, books were spread around the room carelessly and Theo, Ginny, Neville and Hermione were panting heavily. The chasing game between Hermione and Ginny had somehow managed to include Theo and Neville as well.

Hermione's feet were tangled between Draco's bag, from which all of his books had sprawled out on the floor. Hermione bent down to gather his things. She collected his books and put them in his bag, she turned to collect a book on her right when a piece of parchment caught her attention.

Hermione's heart raced as she realized what the piece of parchment was. She lifted it from the ground and stood up. She had held that familiar parchment in her hand twice before and she knew perfectly well what it was. Before Draco could stop her, she opened and read the letter and tears welled up in her eyes.

-xxxxxxx-

Done! I just finished writing the next chapter and it's got me all excited. Spoiler - The next chapter has Harry/Ginny moment!

Hope you all enjoyed it! I can't wait to post the next chapter.

Review!


	17. Past Memories

**Author's note:** Next chapter up in two days as usual! Enjoy!

Maesde: Yes, and now there will tests to test their growing friendship and trust. I'm very excited to post this chapter. I wrote it a while ago, hope I did well. Thank you for the review!

Starzinmieyez: Thank you. I actually had to work a lot on that conversation because I couldn't possibly show friendliness between Harry and Draco immediately. I'm glad that you liked it. Hope you like this one as well.

Legionary Prime: I'm really happy to know that you are enjoying the story. And I've started working with the prank on Umbridge part. Thank you for reviewing!

101FrozenFire101: Right timing. I was actually going to post this chapter when I saw your review. Thank you. I'm really glad you like it. As for the recommendation you gave I have read that story and it's definitely one of my favs too, but I managed to get one. It's 'the Negative side' by Plaidly Lush. I'm sure you gonna like it. Check it out. Hope you like this chapter as well.

She looked up shaking all over. If Blaise hadn't caught her she would have fallen down. Harry and Draco raced up to her and sat on her either side. She held up the letter shakily and looked at him, the tears threatening to fall any moment.

"I'm sorry Hermione, I should have told you this morning…but…but I couldn't. I couldn't tell you." Draco whispered, making small circles on her back, soothing her.

"What is it about?" Neville asked from his armchair. Small creases were visible on his forehead.

"Yeah, who is this letter from?" Harry asked, doubting Draco for the first time.

Draco sighed. "It's from my father." He took the letter from Hermione's trembling fingers and handed it over to Harry.

Harry took the letter without a word and started reading loudly.

_Draco,_

_Less than a week is remaining for your branding. I know you have been ready for this moment forever and at last here it comes. The Dark Lord is getting even more impatient with the mission he has in mind for you. Once you come back the mission will be immediately put into action. Do not disappoint me._

_ L.M._

"What mission?" Harry asked impassively.

"I've no idea. He kept talking about it the entire year. I have no idea what he wants from me." Draco said inching closer to Hermione as she shivered.

"Are you…" Theo started but Draco cut him off angrily.

"Of course not Theo, I'm not going. I thought I made that pretty clear already." Draco's voice raised and he was shouting by the end of his reply.

"Let's not get angry and try to solve this out. Have you replied yet?" Luna asked as she came forward and knelt in front of Hermione.

Draco shook his head. "No." he said in a small voice.

"Okay, tell him you are not going to come back. Tell him you have no intentions of joining him." Harry said, staring at the letter and then up at Draco.

"It's not easy Potter." Draco growled.

"I know but this is the only option unless you want to go back."

"I don't want to." He between clenched teeth and Hermione squeezed his hand, calming him down instantly.

"Then you have got no other option." Blaise said agreeing with Harry.

"I told you Blaise, my father will kill me." Draco said looking at Blaise.

"Not as long as you are in Hogwarts." Harry said, leaning forward and placing the letter on the table.

"What do you mean?"

"What I mean is, it's Christmas so the students can stay if they want. And as per the rules if a student wishes to stay and not go back then the parents cannot force the students to come home." Harry said explaining his point with patience.

"There is no Dumbledore in this school anymore Potter, its Umbridge. My father will bribe his way in." he argued, almost feeling hopeless with the flaw he had found in Harry's plan.

"No he cannot." Hermione said straightening up.

"What?" Neville and Draco voiced together.

"He cannot bribe his way in. It's the school rules. She cannot change or remove any rules without the consent of all the governors and your father isn't the only one. There are many others. So it's not possible. Just make sure everyone knows that you are staying. So if you go back suddenly everyone will know your father bribed his way in. Umbridge wouldn't like it if the word got around." Hermione looked quite hopeful with it.

Draco understood; his father could not bribe him out of the school if he decided not to go. So he got up from his place, went to his bag and took out a piece of parchment and his quill. Bending over a small coffee table he quickly scribbled his reply and pushed the parchment in his pocket. He would give it to one of the school owls tomorrow to deliver it to his father. There was no way he was going to send his own owl, he may never return.

They sat down trying to get some work done. In the last week many students had come up to Harry asking for some academic help. Almost half of the DA had asked for his help and he had decided to do something about it. He had talked to Neville and Ron about helping the necessary students, but the problem was they were just (Including Slytherins, in case they would help) few and the numbers of students needing help were more. The DA members had said that even their friends wanted some help studying. So Harry along with Neville and Ron had come up with an idea.

They had made a list of people in the DA who they could ask for help. They would work as tutors to the people who need help in the academics so they were sitting trying to decide who to elect for the job. Ron and Neville had made an application kind of form and handed it over the meetings to those who were willing to help the younger students in studying. Neville placed a bundle of forms in front of Harry.

"Many students filled up, they all want to help, we just have to select the reliable once and cut out the ones who would prove nothing but a nuisance." Neville sat across Harry and waited for Harry to speak.

"Have they mentioned which subject they are willing to teach?" Harry asked reaching for the bundle.

"Yes. After looking at the way you are helping them, they are all willing to do it." Ron said, sitting beside Neville.

"Okay we will do one thing; we will just go through these forms now and set aside the ones who we are doubtful about. Then we will think about what to do."

And they had all set to work. Harry had the Slytherins practicing the shield at one corner of the room, with him occasionally helping or assisting them. Hermione and Ginny were researching new study material while Harry, Ron, Neville with Luna's help was deciding who were fit to teach and who were not. Luna probably had a good judgement about it, taking into consideration her observation skills.

An hour later, they had selected many people who they seemed perfect for the role of tutors. Since all the DA tutors were DA members he had no problem revealing himself to them. "Ron and Luna, write out letters to the people we have selected and tell them that they have a huge responsibility now, make sure they know that it remains a secret. Charm the letters with DA oath and rules. And tell them I want to have a word with them, so call them tomorrow for a meeting here. Regular time" They nodded and sat off to work.

The whole aspect of this tutor thing was to be kept as secretive as possible. Since Umbridge had taken over, the entire curriculum had changed and now involved nothing but strictly 'theory.' Students without practical knowledge found it difficult to understand the theory part. Their grades that subsequently decreased and the whole lot of them had approached Harry after a DA meeting. And Harry had promised he would come up with something.

So the next day he had sat with Ron and Neville and thought of this plan. The tutors were strictly supposed to be from DA, and many capable students had come forward for the responsibility which Harry was proud was. They had circulated forms through informal means which instructed the students who need help to fill it and leave it at a particular place which were then collected by some DA Core member. They had grouped the students according to the year and subject with which they needed help and assigned tutors to that group. They were supposed to gather students in batch of twos and threes and not more to avoid attention and teach them in their free time. The whole system of this was secretive, no one was supposed to know who was setting and running it. The students outside DA would be told that the elder students were _just_ willing to help.

And the plan was supposed to set in action tomorrow immediately after the DA meetings. Harry had a good feeling it would work out and the DA would be kept in silence. No one would know who or why they are helping and even if Umbridge decided to investigate it would take her nowhere since she would never know from whom or where to start the investigation from.

They had worked up to the wee hours of the morning. In the end all ten of them sat down and helped assigning tutors to the right group of students. After the letters were written and sent out did they all relax and settled in for some sleep. They slept wherever they found space. Since the room was huge they had no problem about privacy.

Luna and Daphne slept on the two couches in the room, while Theo, Ron, Blaise, Neville, Draco and Harry's sleeping bags were huddled together in the right side of the room. Hermione and Ginny were sleeping on the other side of the room, away from the vision line of the boys.

Ginny found Harry standing near one of the windows early in the morning. She got up and went over to him. He smiled as she stood next to him.

"You didn't sleep?" she asked timidly, suddenly turning shy.

"I couldn't Gin." He said softly.

"Don't be worried Harry, everything will get back to normal like the way it used to be…yeah except for a few things." And they both turned to look at the Slytherins who looked like they were quietly enjoying the sleep. They chuckled and turned back to the windows.

"I know Gin, but sometimes it just scares me for no reason. I guess I'm just tired of losing people." He said and sighed.

"You know Harry…" she said as she inched a bit closer to him. "No one's going to leave you, you know. Everyone's staying with you. Everyone's tired of leaving you too."

He gave a sad chuckle and she knew exactly what was bothering him. "You miss him don't you…?" Harry turned sharply at her. "…Dumbledore I mean. You miss him."

Harry softened and nodded his head. "I do miss him Ginny. It's like he left a huge gaping hole in my life and I can see nothing but a huge black spot there, you know where he used to be to."

"He'll come back Harry; he won't leave you like this."

"I know." Harry said and he immediately got lost in his headmaster's memories and he couldn't help but feel sad at his sudden disappearance from his life.

"You care about him a lot, don't you?" Ginny asked slowly already knowing the answer.

"A lot Ginny. He had been through everything that I had to go through. He was there you know when I got insulted and defamed, like he was sharing my insults too. He got insulted and defamed too. He didn't leave my side then, just stood there with me, baring all that things that I went through."

He was silent for a while. Ginny didn't disturb him from whatever thoughts he had but just stood there like his mere presence was enough for her.

"He's the rock of my life." Harry said suddenly and Ginny looked up at him to see that faraway look in his bright green eyes that he often had when he was thinking strongly about something.

"He was always there Ginny. Never in my life had I stopped, looked around and thought he's not there. Never. He was always there. He was someone who I had learnt to lean on Gin. Every time I wanted to take a break from this fame and attention thing, or I got tired of my life or faced infinite problems and just wanted to relax for a while, I did carelessly you know, because I knew Dumbledore was watching my back every time."

"He's just someone who could I lean on and forget about the worries of the world, because in the end I knew he'll be there to save the day like a real hero. And today when he's not here, it gives me a sickening feeling. Because I just realised how much I depended on that old man. I can't relax even for a second. I always stay awake at night, at least most of the time, fearing an attack because I know Dumbledore's not here to watch my back and it makes me feel even worse."

Harry hung his head feeling miserable. "No Harry. He's still around. He'll still watch over you Harry even if he's not around. I know. I just know it. I don't think he'll ever stop worrying and looking out for you. We all know how much he cares for you." Ginny rubbed his hand, desperately trying to assure him of her words.

"He loves you Harry." She said at last and Harry turned sharply to look at her again and he could see nothing but a strong belief at what she just said.

"I just fear of betraying him Ginny. I don't want to betray the trust he has in me. If I lose I don't think I'll ever be able to look at him." Harry's voice trembled and Ginny held him tightly.

"You won't lose Harry, he won't let you." She said softly.

"If I die…" Harry began and Ginny visibly shivered. Harry straightened up and took her in his arms. "…I said _if_ Ginny. Forget it. You know I always picture myself dying to protect him and there is no doubt I will."

"Everyone knows Harry, if anyone is loyal to him the most; it's you."

Harry didn't know what to say to that. He knew where his loyalties lay, to Dumbledore. There was no doubt, it always had. There was never a time when he had doubted it, yes there were times when he had trust issues and didn't want to talk to him, but his loyalties never swayed. They were firm and straight. He was his mentor and he was the only one to whom Harry was the closest to; expect Ron and Hermione of course. But there were some things which neither knew about him but Dumbledore did.

For once he may doubt himself and find himself incapable but he never doubted Dumbledore or his judgement. He thought he just wasn't capable of judging a man like Dumbledore. He closed his eyes and thought of all those times when Dumbledore had said he was proud of him and how he had felt relief spread through him. At that time he wanted nothing but to just impress Dumbledore; childish as it may sound but it was true. Dumbledore was _the _greatest wizard of all time and hearing something of those sorts from him was a big achievement in itself.

His thoughts slowly shifted from Dumbledore to the girl in his arms. He was surprised to find her fit in his arms so easily and perfectly. He smiled,

"I love you." He said softly and sighed as he felt her grip tightened on his chest where her small fist had clutched a good part of his shirt.

-xxxxx-

Done! Took time but I did my best.

Next Update: Umbridge's new threat.


	18. Descendants

**Author's note: **Next Chapter! Took me a while to write but I hope you all will enjoy it!

**Starzinmieyez**: It took me a while to write since Harry is a bit different from the book Harry. (I hope you understood what I mean.) So I had to think a lot before I could write. I'm glad you liked it. Thank you for the review!

**Guest**: Yes, I loved writing that chapter. It's one of my favs. Thank you for the review! I'm glad that you are enjoying the story.

**ImRevaShenoy****:** Oh my God! That's a big thing what you have said. Thank you for the review, it means a lot.

: Thank you for all the reviews. Glad that you are enjoying the story!

…..

Draco sent his letter the first in the morning the next day. He felt fear grip him when he saw the brown school owl take off into the morning sky. He knew how his father was going to react and it was nothing that Draco was looking forward to. He knew his father would do anything to get him out of the school. And that is what actually scared Draco. _What if his father manages to take him out? What will happen then? Will he be killed? Or spared? What will happen to Hermione?_

There were the questions which he was not ready to face yet but with the prevailing situations he couldn't ignore them. He would die a thousand deaths than let Hermione face any of the pain. Something had to be done, something that will keep Hermione safe.

A figure came to stand by him and he looked at it. Hermione stood looking at the sky beside him. She looked up at him and gave him a small smile.

"Are you all alright?" she asked in a small voice.

He nodded. "We'll get over it, you know." Hermione said as she shivered a bit in the cold morning. Instinctively Draco reached out to her and took her in his arms.

"I just want you to be safe." He said burying his face in her hair.

"Don't worry, I'll be fine." She said muffled up against his chest.

He looked down at her. "You do realise that everything changes now right? My father will do everything to get me out of here. He'll try to hurt you."

"I know. But I'm not back stepping. I'll stand with you." She said looking up at him.

"It's dangerous." He whispered as he cupped her face in his hands.

"I understand but hiding is not one of my traits Draco. And you should not be scared. I know this sounds stupid bravery but this is how I'm. I'm not stepping back." She said slowly letting him understand how important it is for her.

"Being with Potter all these years had rubbed it on you isn't it?" he asked a bit angrily.

She laughed and stepped out of his arms. "You can say that. I'm so used to being in a danger with those boys that going around sometime without danger doesn't seem normal anymore."

He chuckled. "But will you promise me that you'll be careful and avoid all tight spots if you can?" he asked seriously.

She nodded and he smiled back. They made their way back to the Room of Requirement without anyone spotting them together.

-…-

It was sometime in the afternoon that all of them had again gathered in the Room of Requirement to discuss further about the DA. The DA Core had somehow extended to include Slytherins as well.

"I've the tutors coming in for the meeting at 4:00pm today." Neville said as he sat down opposite Harry.

"Okay." Harry nodded as he looked up from his book.

"Umbridge's up to something." Daphne said hurriedly as she entered the room, with huge books in her hands. She looked scared and out of place.

They all looked up at her sharply.

"What do you mean?" Luna asked from her seat next to Neville.

"I don't know but she definitely is up to something." Daphne replied as she deposited her bag near one of table and sat down on the couch beside Hermione.

"How do you know?" Draco asked.

"I heard her. Not entirely though. She was talking to Filch about disciplining the students and about more drastic measures to control Hogwarts." Daphne said, looking at everybody in turn.

Everyone looked horrified at the idea. "What?" Ginny cried from her seat. "How much more control is she going to have. For Merlin's sake she already owns the bloody school."

"Did she say anything about how?" Harry asked speaking for the first time.

"No, but it's going to be bad, like real bad because she said something about having Fudge's permission for it." Daphne looked more horrified as she replied.

"Shit." Theo and Ron echoed together and slumped in their seats further.

"Malfoy?" Harry called. When he had Draco's attention he asked, "Do you think Umbridge is in league with Voldemort?"

Draco seemed to think about that for a moment. "I don't think so; she seems to have too much pride for that."

"But we don't know. May be we could spike her tea with Veritaserum." Blaise said looking hopeful.

"No." Luna said. "It's too dangerous."

"But we have to do something, because whatever it is it doesn't sound good." Neville shuddered.

"But what? We haven't got the slightest clue of what she's up to." Ginny cried.

"We can't do anything but stay clear of her path and protect the younger students. We don't know this, but she may be in league with Voldemort, I mean the way she is, it clearly indicated how much supportive she is of his ways." Harry said and everyone nodded in response.

"Do one thing…" Harry continued, "Call the house leaders for a quick DA meeting before the tutor meeting. It will be better to warn them as early as possible."

The Gryffindor's nodded and left the room looking for the leaders. The Slytherins stayed in with Harry and Luna further questioning Daphne about what she heard.

Half an hour later the four house leaders – Fred and George Weasley, Anthony Goldstein and Ernie Macmillan were seated with in the Room of Requirement waiting for Harry to start speaking.

The DA Core was seated around them and Ernie Macmillan shot nervous looks towards the Slytherins who had their gaze fixed upon Harry.

"To begin with…" Harry started the meeting standing in front of them all, "…Umbridge is up to something." Shock crossed their faces; apparently they knew it was going to be bad if Umbridge was thinking of something.

"We don't know what it is yet, but we are sure to find out in a couple of days. But for the time being I want you all to be extra careful and alert. Look over the younger students as I suspect them to be in more danger. They are inexperienced and will panic the most. Therefore I want you all to be on a lookout for them. Keep them out of Umbridge's way as far as possible."

They nodded in understanding and Harry started pacing. "It's got to be worst if Umbridge has Fudge's permission. That dimwit wouldn't realise if he lets Death Eaters in the school."

Fred and George snickered and whispered in hushed tones.

"I want you all to alert the prefects who are from DA." Harry continued after Fred and George had stopped. "Tell them to be more alert during their rounds and if they catch any students, DA members or not avoid giving out detentions; knock house points if they want, but strictly avoid giving detentions. They may end up with a rude message on their hands." Harry subconsciously rubbed his left hand.

"Okay." Anthony said after Harry finished. "It's not safe anymore?"

"No." Harry replied. "We are trying to loosen the tension as far as possible I don't think it will be long." He nodded absently at him.

"So Harry…" Fred began.

"We were thinking of something." George finished for him.

"What?" Harry asked knowing well that the twins were definitely up to something.

"Since Umbridge is up to something and is going to give us a hard time why not we give her some before she does…."

"…with whatever she has in store for the school?" They wiggled their eyebrows at Harry and he smiled.

"Alright but stay out of harm's way." Harry warned. Fred and George were fairly good duellers. Losing them from his side would be a huge loss.

"Oh dear…"

"…you sound like mum."

Blaise laughed out loud and the twins gave their own trademark identical grins.

"What are you planning?" Ron asked, excited about the twins plans.

"Not sure yet…"

"But we will surely come up with something…."

"…grand." They finished in unison.

"I'm in." Theo said, getting up from his place and walking over to the twins. "Whatever it is that you are going to do I'm in. It's time that old frog stops croaking."

Fred and George looked at each other and their faces lit up simultaneously. They both nodded at each other and faced Theo with maniacal grins on their faces.

"But we also need a girl for the plan to work." George said and looked over at the girls expectantly.

"Count me in." Daphne said walking over to them.

They both raised their eyebrows but turned to Harry none the less.

"We are off then Harry with our apprentices."

They walked out and the DA Core sat together discussing further about Umbridge's plan.

-…-

The tutor's meeting begin shortly after that. Almost as 25 people were selected and Harry had a quick word with them before they could begin with their work.

"Alright." He said pacing around once again. He was actually shocked with the amount of meetings he was taking; he doubted if even the Minister took so many. That thought almost made him smile. "I have assigned a small group of students mostly two or three to each of you to teach, to avoid suspicion. You'll teach them wherever you find comfortable – library being the most effective. But I don't want you all to be cramped in the same place together teaching, Umbridge will get suspicious. So scatter around Hogwarts and give your best. We'll discuss the results after a week."

After this quick meeting the tutors had immediately set to work as reported by Daphne and Theo who came back a short time later.

"Potter?" Draco called sitting beside Harry on the couch.

Harry looked up from his _**Defensive magic and its uses **_book and stared at Draco. "Malfoy." He greeted.

"I thought you could possibly want to look for those books in the Restricted Section, if you are not busy." He said looking at the rather thick looking book on Harry's lap.

"Now?" Harry asked looking shocked.

"Yes actually, Madam Pince thinks no one would dare enter that place in broad daylight plus there is no one to keep a watch like at night, I swear Filch has taken up residence there." he muttered the last part under his breath and looked at Harry who was staring at him like he had grown another head.

"Oh Potter I know I'm devishly handsome and too charming to look away from but please people might misunderstand." And he smirked and Harry turned red.

"Shut up Malfoy." He said before getting up. "Let's go."

They entered the Restricted Section about half an hour later under Harry's invisibility cloak.

"Seriously Potter, this is not fair. You own an invisibility cloak?" Draco said for the fiftieth time since leaving the Gryffindor tower where Harry had gone to fetch it from his dorm.

"Will you shut it Malfoy?" Harry asked getting irritated with the constant nagging.

"No, you walked gracefully under that cloak the entire time whereas I had sneaked around like a muggle. That's hardly fair." Draco argued still upset about Harry's cloak.

"Seriously Malfoy, you are giving us out. So stop it." Harry hushed him and opened the door leading to the restricted Section. He thought they must be the first students to ever break in into that section of the library in broad daylight. The door creaked loudly but Draco had his wand out immediately and silenced the door.

Once there were far into the room they took off their invisibility cloak and started skimming through the books.

"What to look for Malfoy?" Harry asked from one end of a bookshelf.

"Look for anything that says, '_Powerful Wizards' _or _'Great powers'_ or something like that, look along those lines." Draco said, his fingers going over the century old books.

Most of the books stored were either on _Advance Magic, Dark Arts _or some dangerous books that could turn the wizard's life hell. After much searching Harry and Draco found only three books that mentioned something about powerful wizards and ancient powers.

Draco flipped open the first book once they had settled on a table. It mentioned something about powerful wizards of the last two century but ended up it with being only telling them about the powerful wizards and their biography rather than what made them powerful.

The next book mentioned a record of the most dangerous powers ever witnessed by the wizarding world. It edged along with the _Dark Arts_ and Harry shut the book after reading a few pages. He knew his powers weren't dark and he pushed the book as far from him as possible.

Harry took the third book after seeing Draco push the first one aside. It was an old book by the looks of it. The black shiny leathered book looked rather well kept. It was flatter than the other two books and stood a couple of inches higher. The leather surprisingly felt smooth against his palm and a faint scented must smell touched their nostrils.

_Ancient powers of the Past _written in gold shined in the afternoon sunlight. Harry looked up at Draco and he gave one of his tiniest nods. Harry flipped open the book with a positive feeling and scanned the contents.

_Ancient Magic: Understanding…..…1_

_Ancient Magic: Witnessed…..21_

_Ancient Magic: Special and Extraordinary cases….50_

_Ancient Magic in the future….78_

_Possible cases….98_

_Ancient Magic: Rare and legendary powers….….140_

_Ministry's view….160_

_Powerful Wizards and Witches….200_

_Hogwarts Founders: The Legends…260_

Harry looked up at Draco and they settled in for _Ancient Magic: Rare and Legendary Powers._ Skipping to page 140 Harry started reading and Draco stood up to look over Harry shoulder, his hands resting on Harry's armrest.

Harry skipped the first three pages, his fingers racing between the lines. Finally he found something worth reading on the third page of the chapter.

_Record and witnesses of true legendary powers can be dated back to as old as the early 16__th__ century. Many people have claimed to have possession of these powers and had previously threatened of the destruction of the entire wizarding world. While the claims and the powers of these people remain unverified there is no doubt that such powers exist. The reason behind the wizards/witches possession of such powerful magic remains a mystery. According to the previous study conducted such rare and legendary powers will continue to surface once in a while. _

_The root of such powers cannot be traced back as the records have either perished or they have never been recorded before but the in-depth research on his subject claims that descendants will show the existence of some extraordinary power than the other normal wizards/witches._

Harry leaned back in his chair and took off his glasses. He rubbed his eyes and looked at Draco who had sat back on his chair.

"Potters were the rarest and the oldest pureblood families in the wizarding world, or so my father told me." Draco whispered slowly and Harry put his glasses back. He looked at Draco for a moment before replying,

"But it says that to have the possession of any ancient and legendary powers I need to be a descendent of a powerful wizard who previously had such powers." Harry leaned back against the chair once again and closed his eyes for a minute thinking and rethinking what he had just read and suddenly his eyes snapped open and he looked at Draco. Draco's eyes were wide with realisation as well and they hurriedly read the index again and flipped to page 260 _Hogwarts Founders._

Skipping through the other founders, Harry quickly reached over to _Godric Gryffindor._ Draco shifted his chair closer to Harry as they began reading,

_Godric Gryffindor, one of the most powerful and brilliant wizard of the medieval times and was one of the founders of Hogwarts school of Witchcraft and Wizardry. He hailed from a moor which is now known as 'Godric's Hollow' a small West Country village in England. He was described as the most brilliant and dullest at times. He was said to have praised courage, determination, daring, bravery and strength of heart._

_He had powers which some wizards refer to as 'Unspeakable Magic' but the records suggest the existence of limited powers of Godric Gryffindor one of the remarkable being: Rector Ignis meaning ruler of fire. There is no doubt that Godric Gryffindor was a controller of fire, since his name Godric meaning 'he who rules with God' or 'he who rules well' and his surname a reference to the one of the most powerful beast Griffin: a fierce, legendary __**fire **__beast with the body of a lion and the head and wings of an eagle._

_Many descendants have had the capability to control fire but none of them being as powerful as The Godric himself. Many of his descendants met their death due to the uncontrollable fire leading to the destruction of an entire village and a town somewhere 50 years later. There has been no record yet of any descendant of Godric Gryffindor being powerful and capable enough to control the fire element._

Harry slumped back in his seat, a light headache forming and throbbing in his head.

"Potter are you a descendant of Gryffindor?" Draco voiced after sometime, his voice laced with shock.

-xxxxxx-

Long Chapter! I know I left you all hanging! I'm evil yes! Haha!

Next Chapter: Pranks!


	19. Chipmunk

**Author's note:** Next chapter! It's actually taking time for me to write since I'm also beta reading some stories but hopefully the next chapter will be up in two days. Also if you guys need help with your story or want me to beta read feel free to contact me.

**Maesde**: Yes, he didn't quite expect it to be this way. Thank you for the review.

**Legionary Prime**: Haha! You are on the right track of guessing. You have some luck with it or something? Anyways here's the pranks chapter. I tried to keep the insults as original as possible since they really sounded insulting. Hehe! Again thanks for your suggestion. I hope you like it. Thank you for the review.

**Starzinmieyez**: Yes, I know I'm evil. Hehe! Well, anyways your guess is right but there's some twist to it. Read on to find out. Thank you for the review.

"Potter are you a descendant of Godric Gryffindor?" Draco asked after sometime, his voice laced with shock.

Harry just shook his head. "I don't know." He said in a small voice.

"You have to be otherwise there is no way that you could have possessed the capability to control the fire element. And the fact that Potters were one of the oldest pureblood families cannot be ignored either." Draco said getting straight to the point. He believed that Harry was indeed a direct descendent of Gryffindor.

"That's not possible Malfoy." Harry said slowly as he straightened up in his chair.

"Why not? It's quite clear." Draco said not quite understanding why Harry would refuse.

"I speak Parseltongue Malfoy, how are you going to explain this?" Harry said, getting quite irritated with the confusion. If he was a descendent of Gryffindor how the hell was he able to speak to snakes?

Draco leaned back in his chair and closed his eyes, not quite understanding the mystery himself. He was sure that Harry was a descendant of Gryffindor, remembering the day when his father had told him of those legendary powers. He was also sure that no one except the descendants could possess such powers. Suddenly an idea struck him. It was stupid he knew, but there was no harm in voicing it out loud.

"What if you are a descendant of Slytherin as well?" Draco looked as Harry's eyes widened a bit.

"Is that even possible?" Harry asked as the idea sounded absurd to him.

"Maybe." Draco said, his voice low, a small whisper.

The machines of Draco's brain were already working in full swing and suddenly his idea didn't sound absurd at all. Yes, there were just three wizards in the entire wizarding history who could speak Parseltongue, one Slytherin himself, next Lord Voldemort and then Harry Potter. There was a total possibility that Harry descended from both.

"Potter, I think that's possible." Draco said coming back to the present to see Harry's eyes still widened. He was staring past him but that faraway look was back in his eyes which Draco had witnessed quite sometimes.

Suddenly Harry got up and his chair toppled backwards and fell on the floor with a loud crash.

"Have you gone bonkers Potter?" Draco said with clenched teeth as he immediately started scanning his surroundings for Madam Pince or Filch.

But Harry paid no attention to the angry Draco. He had started pacing already, his hands behind his back, his eyes still faraway and he was muttering under his breath.

"…should have known…I was an idiot…the grave…my blood…Voldemort…" Draco could only make out words and finally getting frustrated he stood up and stopped him from pacing.

"Have you lost all comprehension skills Potter?"

"Oh! What? Sorry?" Harry said before slumping back in his chair and Draco followed suite.

"I just realised something and I think I…I know what this means." Harry said slowly turning to look at a shocked Draco.

"What?" Draco said his voice a hiss as his heart beat increased.

Harry's heart was racing as he started explaining to Draco, "During the Triwizard Tournament's final task, you know it lead to Voldemort's rebirth."

"Yes, everyone knows that." he had actually cringed when his father told him the details of that night. He still didn't know why his father had shared it with him. Normally his father would never share his or his 'master's' failures with him. Probably seeing that he was practically happy about his master's return would have made him share it with Draco.

"Yes, on that night he had used my blood for the rebirth when he could have used Wormtail's or any of his loyal Death Eaters, he did not. He used mine even after he knew of the protection that my mother left with me."

"So that means…" Draco trailed off and Harry's hand shot off towards his scar.

"Do you think..?" Harry trailed off and they both shot off their seats and towards the never ending book cases. They looked for any books that mentioned anything about cursed scars.

Draco found one book on '_Cursed scars and their effects' _and sat down with Harry to read it.

_A cursed scar is a permanent mark on the skin caused by a dark spell. Only Dark Wizards are known to give out such curse which leads to disturbing effects on the victim. Such cursed scars are irreversible and as of late there is no way to cure it._

"Well, I knew that." Harry said looking up from the book. His hand subconsciously massaged his scar. "I knew that this is a cursed scar Malfoy but I have been rather proud of it. This is the only part of me that I liked as a child."

"But do you think it had something to do with Voldemort for that matter?" Draco asked looking confused.

"I think yes. Look at it this way." Harry said and got up once again and took to pacing the floor in front of him. "Voldemort is a direct descendent of Salazar Slytherin. And during my second year Dumbledore told me something about my scar which disturbed me quite for some time after that."

"Which is…?" Draco asked leaning forward in his chair, excitement coursing through him.

"That when Voldemort gave me this scar he unknowingly gave some of his powers to me. He transferred them to me through this scar. That was one of the reasons Dumbledore gave me when I asked about my ability to speak to snakes."

"I got this." Draco said and stood up.

"That means when he gave you this scar he marked you as an heir of Slytherin?" Draco's voice was shocked beyond belief.

"That has got to be the only explanation. So that means Voldemort can control the water element?" Harry asked mostly to himself.

"Yes, Voldemort is one of the most powerful wizard of all time and I know even Dumbledore agrees with it. Wait a second Potter…" he said and held Harry's gaze.

"Since you are the heir of both Slytherin and Gryffindor have tried controlling the water element?" Draco asked his heart beating at top speed.

"No…" Harry said trailing off. "I didn't but I don't think I can. I mean he gave me some of his powers not all Malfoy."

"But maybe you know…you can try for once." Draco said looking quite hopeful with what he said.

"But still Malfoy I mean before I could control the fire element I…I kind of felt it you know. I felt the power rise inside me." Harry said looking for words to describe the feeling he got when he was about to control the fire.

"But you still haven't tried with the water thing, so maybe you should try it once. Who knows that feeling may return?" Draco looked at Harry trying hard to make his point obvious. If Harry was a descendant of Godric Gryffindor and Salazar Slytherin he ought to have the powers of them.

"I'll try next time when I train with the Griffin." Harry said and looked at Draco with thankful eyes.

"Thank you Malfoy, for helping me find some answers I desperately wanted." Harry inched closer to Draco and waited for him speak.

Draco stood dumbfounded for a minute. He was shocked. The Wonder Boy, The-Boy-Who-Lived was thanking him, his enemy? But they weren't enemies any more nor were they closest of friends but still he was thanking him and he felt grateful for it.

"Now as long as you like staring at the Boy-Who-Lived, I would recommend you to speak something before people misunderstand." Harry said before Draco could speak and the rarest or rare smile spread across Draco's face. It was genuine and grateful.

"Don't mention it Potter. You gave me a chance and helped me maybe it was just my turn for the same." Harry stuck his hand out for a friendly shake and Draco was once again taken aback with Harry's behaviour. Draco stepped forward and shook his hand accepting what was rejected five years ago.

"I think we should leave before Madam Pince finds out." Harry said picking up his invisibility cloak.

They walked towards the entrance slowly to avoid any noise of scraping shoes.

"And no I don't fancy you Potter." Draco said as Harry closed the door and he let out a low chuckle and elbowed Draco in his ribs.

"No? I thought everyone was in love with The-boy-who-lived. At least the Death Eaters are." He chuckled again.

"Of course not and keep your crush and undying love for me in your heart. I don't want people to think I have gone off track."

Harry laughed again and they argued the whole way back to the Room of Requirement.

…

Late on Sunday evening the Gryffindor's DA Core were found relaxing near the _Great Lake_. Harry's arms were draped over Ginny's shoulder. Hermione sat across from them with Ron beside her. Luna and Neville were sitting beside Ron, their fingers intertwined with each other. They both were staring at each other for the past fifteen minutes much to Ron's chagrin.

"Can't they do anything else?" Ron hissed at Hermione who giggled in return.

"C'mon Ron. It's so sweet." Hermione looked at the obviously in love couple and smiled at Ron.

Ron rolled his eyes and turned even redder.

"Good…"

"…evening." Fred and George greeted before flopping down beside them.

They all greeted them back with smiles.

"Relaxing? Hmm...We see." Fred said eyeing Harry and Ginny.

"Yes, we thought we should to take a break. It was affecting our sanity." Harry replied smiling at the twins.

"Well…"

"…we have exactly..."

"…what you guys…"

"…need for relaxing…" the twins finished together and flashed identical grins at each other.

"How the hell do you do that?" Ron asked.

"That's a talent my brother." George replied before getting up.

"C'mon get your asses up." Fred said joining his brother in getting up.

"What is it?" Hermione asked as she got up too.

"Well, our surprise. C'mon!" the twins said and the DA Core followed the twins up to the greenhouses.

They stopped at a considerable distance and looked at the plants surrounding their classes with suspicious eyes.

"What have you done?" Luna asked.

"Just wait and watch." Fred said looking around searching for someone.

"Oh! There's Umbridge." George said pointing towards the toad woman who was entering the first greenhouse.

"And there's our star Slytherins as well." George continued.

They looked over at the Slytherins who were seated near a huge tree. Draco winked at Hermione who blushed and Theo nodded in excitement.

A few minutes later a huge shriek sounded from the first greenhouse where Umbridge was.

"Mission…"

"…started…" they chanted in unison and looked over at Theo and Daphne who gave them identical grins.

"What have you done?" Hermione asked in a terrified voice.

Students had started gathering around the greenhouses as the shouts of Umbridge grew louder.

"Just wait and watch dear sister." Fred draped his arm over Hermione's shoulder and looked over at the greenhouses.

Umbridge came running out of the greenhouse, her hair a mess. Her pink cardigan had dirt patches and twigs in them. Her shoes were covered in dirt and her every shriek sounded like a loud croak. Behind her small animals came chasing her out shouting all the way behind her.

The gnomes were one and a half foot approximately. They were in a mixture of brown and black giving them a disgusted look. Their heads were much larger than their body, their feet hard and bony. They each carried a stick in their hands which were twigs from the plants in the greenhouses. They were around 70-80 of them and they had surrounded Umbridge blocking her exit. All the students had gathered around them laughing out at her face.

The gnomes were chanting something but their voices weren't clear enough to understand over the loud laughing of the students. Fred and George shushed everyone down to let them hear it.

"We could help you find what you came looking for. Follow these 3 steps: Step one: Pull your head out your arse."

They chanted at the top of their voice and the entire student body crackled with laughter. Umbridge started hexing the gnomes who scattered around the students now giving out different insults.

"The way you shriek, you remind of my mother. _SHE WAS FAT AND UGLY TOO!"_

"You remind me of an old friend…she was a twit! _JUST LIKE YOU!"_

"I sensed your presence before you even arrived. What did you _EAT?"_

"I can't decide if I like your looks or your personality better. It's like comparing _mud to sewage!"_

"If I had a friend like you, I could tell them secrets. Like that I'm going to set you on fire you _UGLY TOAD!"_

"SHE'S A FROG!"

Ron had doubled over with laughter. He was flat on the ground clutching his stomach and laughing his ass off. Hermione had tears flowing down her cheeks. Ginny and Harry were bright red. Neville and Luna were appreciating the twins while the Slytherins were chanting along with the gnomes.

"You really got your father's looks. EWW!"

"You are going to make someone lucky…._If he likes UGLY BIRDS with no personality!"_

"You are the scariest thing since….Since that chipmunk ran by ten minutes ago."

Everyone had doubled over with glee. Umbridge was bright red in the face and her hexes flew in every direction. She gave a loud shriek before running off towards the castle entrance with students and gnomes chanting "Chipmunk" all way behind her.

-xxxxxxxxxx-

Done! But that was actually difficult to write. I hope you guys liked it. Anyways…

Next chapter update: The real threats and danger begins….


	20. Education Degree No 47

**Author's note: **Next chapter. Times are getting harder and it's going to get even harder now. The danger's increased. Hope you guys like it.

**Legionary Prime****:** They were funny. I watched a couple of videos and couldn't get the insults off my mind. Thank you for the recommendation and review. Hope you like this chapter as well.

**Starzinmieyez**: Yes, they are. I'm glad that you liked the prank scene. Hope you like this chapter as well. Thank you for the review and looking forward for your next ones!

The thing which the DA Core didn't realise when they got back from the hilarious prank of Fred and George was the abrupt changes in the situations that were going to take place after this. They were all so engrossed in their classes, DA and training that they completely forgot about Draco's letter to his father which he had sent the previous day.

When the DA Core got back to the Room Of Requirement they saw Draco's family owl perched on a table waiting for Draco to return. As soon as Draco saw the eagle like owl he had paled, more then he normally was which wasn't a good sign. The laughter had died down immediately as they all turned to look at Draco who was shivering very slightly. Hermione intertwined his fingers with hers and led him forward towards the owl. He smiled at her gratefully all the time dreading what was waiting for him there.

He untied the letter and the owl flew out of the open window. He straightened up and tried to put on a brave face but his trembling fingers gave it all away. They all seated themselves on the couches and looked expectantly at Draco. Draco opened the scroll and his eyes swept over the letter and he paled even more.

He sat back with a loud thump and Hermione took the parchment from his hands and read out loud for everyone.

_Draco,_

_I knew you were a coward and would disgrace the family name soon. Why did you think I punished you in such a way when you were growing up? I think now, that it wasn't enough. The Dark Lord is not happy Draco and it would be better if you get your guts together and be a man. If you don't I'll make sure that at the end of this year you do. If you don't reply I'll know what your decision is. In case you don't reply, I'll still see you soon._

_ L.M._

Silence hung over the room for good five minutes. Hermione sat beside Draco holding his hand and rubbing small circles on his back. Theo and Blaise had creases on their forehead and Daphne looked panicked. No one knew what to say. They all understood the undertone threat that Lucius had given him.

At last when the silence became to deafening Harry spoke up.

"We all knew what we were risking when we took this in our own hands." Everyone looked at Harry as he spoke. His eyes were trained on the ground as he began but then he looked up at Draco and spoke again, "Especially you Slytherins but you all were firm and so I took you guys in because I knew you wanted to change and staying true to my word I swear I'll do everything to protect you guys."

Harry looked at everyone but more fixedly at the Slytherins. "There's not much I can do when we are still at Hogwarts." Harry continued when no one spoke. "But I don't think that will be the case till the year end since your father confirmed of the danger at the end of the school year. So all I can say till the time we are in Hogwarts is to be more alert of your surrounding and do not wander off anywhere on your own. Have someone with you all the time and do not hang around with other Slytherins who you are suspicious of. I would recommend you hang around with each other."

"What after that?" Blaise spoke when Harry stopped. The creases on his forehead had not disappeared but deepened even more.

"Our parents will hunt us down." Daphne spoke slowly.

"We won't be safe anywhere out of Hogwarts." Theo piped in. Draco was still silent and listened to everybody as they spoke.

"Don't worry about that." Harry said and Draco's head snapped up at this. "I'll take care of it. They won't even catch the wisp of where I'll hide you once the danger at this year-end is over."

"Are you sure Potter? Will you be able to do that?" Draco asked after thinking about Harry's words.

Harry smiled a little and nodded his head. "Yes Malfoy. You guys did something which needs true bravery and it's quite honourable. Don't worry about it, leave it up to me. I know a perfect place where to hide you all. We just need to be prepared. If there is some serious danger on Hogwarts I'll smuggle you guys out and into that hiding place."

No one said anything after that as they relaxed into their seats. Everyone had their own problems and thoughts to consider. They knew it wasn't going to be easy and the Slytherins knew what they were signing up for. Still, this caught them off guard. They had been training for the past month continuously keeping the faces of their enemies clear in their minds. But to think of their parents as their enemies disturbed them the most. Sure, their parents wouldn't give a second thought about killing them but it was difficult for the children to retaliate to their parents. But they wanted freedom, freedom to make their own choices at life. It wouldn't be a war only to rid the world of evil but it would also be a war for their freedom as well.

-….-

Monday morning breakfast in the Great Hall wasn't a cheerful occasion. Students hated Mondays; half because of the wonderful weekend everyone enjoyed and half because they had double potions with Snape.

The DA Core was seated at their regular tables chatting with their own friends. Harry and Ron looked sleepily as Hermione read out important news from the Daily Prophet. Ginny was arguing with George about Quiddtch while Neville sat silently listening to the brother-sister fight.

The Slytherins were seated in their regular places too enjoying their breakfast silently unlike the Gryffindors who chatted nonstop. Suddenly Luna came into the Great Hall looking pale and walking briskly over to her table. Something was not right. Hermione's head snapped up as she saw a very pale looking Luna hurrying over to her table. She could tell something had happened otherwise the usually calm Luna never tripped over her own shoes.

Harry and Ron noticed Hermione's alert look and they turned back in their seats to look at a much panicked looking Luna sitting at the Ravenclaw table and pushing some eggs on her plate. They eyed each other and then looked over at the Slytherin table. Surely they all had noticed Luna's behaviour as well. As if sensing their eyes on her, Luna looked up and saw the entire DA Core watching her with narrowed eyes.

She nodded very slowly in their direction, took a sip of her pumpkin juice and raced out of the Great Hall as fast as her legs could allow. No one noticed Luna as she exited the Great Hall as if her skirt was on fire. They all got the message and slowly the five Gryffindor's got up from their table. Harry looked up at the Slytherins as he packed his bag and again nodded slowly before following the others out of the hall. Five minutes later no one noticed or suspected anything as a group of four Slytherins exited the Great Hall as well.

They all gathered in the Room of Requirement to know what was wrong with Luna. They were all again sitting on the couches, the fireplace burned with small fire allowing them some warmth. Luna's hands were clamped tightly with Neville's and they all looked nervously at her. After a couple of minutes Luna finally spoke.

"She knows." As these two words left her mouth they all paled.

"H..How?" Neville asked.

"I don't know… someone sold us." Luna said looking worriedly at Harry.

"But that's not possible." Hermione said her heart beating loudly in her chest. "The oath won't allow them to." Hermione knew the oath was strong enough to punish whoever sold them out. She had researched it thoroughly.

"But someone did Hermione." Luna said looking desperately at her. "And as far I heard she has known about it for quite some time. She just doesn't know who to catch or investigate."

"What did you hear?" Harry asked speaking for the first time.

"She was talking to someone I didn't recognize. They had their back to me. But she was talking about us that much I could tell because it involved words like self-defence, illegal student organization and Harry Potter."

"Oh dear!" Ginny held on to Harry tightly as Luna spoke.

"But she doesn't have any evidence. Whoever told her didn't know where to find us or who to ask and she couldn't ask Harry about it either." Luna continued.

"This is shit." Theo said running his hand though his thick black locks.

"And the other day when Daphne heard Umbridge talking about something to discipline us?" Luna said when Harry refused to speak again. He nodded for her to continue.

"That is to catch us. She is setting up something…something similar to prefects. She wants us to be caught. Whatever that is will be out today."

They all had gone back to their classes after that. No one spoke about it again but they were tensed and they could tell that the others were thinking about the same thing they were. They couldn't concentrate, they were all just waiting for that thing whatever Umbridge was going to declare today and Harry didn't know why but he had a negative about it. He knew something good wasn't going to come out of this. They barely ate anything at lunch. Harry had lost all appetite after speaking to Luna. Umbridge had kept shooting suspicious smiles at Harry the entire lunch hour and that's when he knew something terribly bad was going to happen.

And it happened as the students entered the Great Hall for dinner. Filch was putting up another Education Degree.

_**PROCLAIMATION **_

_Education Degree No. 47_

_Formation of Inquisitory Squad with_

_Respect to the permission from _

_Minister for Magic – Cornelius Fudge _

_Interested students please sign up with Umbridge for an interview._

_IS Squad will be a squad who are supportive of Ministry of Magic. The Squad is supposed to ensure order among the student populace. This squad will have its own prefects who'll have powers above the school prefects and will be responsible for the peaceful environment of the school. _

– _Dolores Umbridge_

Everyone ate glumly after the notice was put up by Filch. No one spoke and no one questioned. The dinner hour went by silently with none of them speaking or eating to their full limit. Before getting up Harry motioned the Slytherins and Luna to meet him in the Room of Requirement.

-…-

"What is it Potter? Why did you call us?" Theo asked, taking a place between Ginny and Blaise.

"I want to talk to you all regarding today's notice." Harry said standing up and giving his place to Luna to sit next to Neville.

"What is there to talk about it? We are all officially screwed." Blaise said leaning back against the couch.

"No, not if we use this to our advantage." Harry said slowly looking at everyone. They all straightened up and listened attentively.

"How?" Luna asked, the dreamy look was back on her face.

"See its simple, Umbridge is setting up Inquisitory Squad to catch the DA. But she has no clue who's behind it or who are its members. So we'll take advantage of this thing. We'll send some of our DA members to sign up for Inquisitory Squad. It'll better to have someone on the inside if we have to keep DA a secret."

"That's brilliant Harry." Hermione said beaming at him.

Harry smiled at her and turned back to the others. "So we'll choose those people who Umbridge thinks will sign up." He looked at the Slytherins in particular.

"Potter what exactly are you trying to say?" Draco asked not liking the way Harry was looking at him.

"I want you and Blaise to sign up for The Inquisitory Squad. There is no doubt that you'll make it to the Inquisitory Squad's prefect's team." Harry's eyes twinkled as he laid down his plan.

"No, that's not possible." Blaise said before Draco could react.

"Look Blaise Umbridge will expect you and Draco to sign up for the Inquisitory Squad from the Slytherins and if you don't she'll be suspicious." Harry said creasing his forehead.

"Harry's right." Neville said supporting his elbows on his knees. "You guys are supposed to be the 'so called' leaders of your Slytherins and if you don't sign up for something that is going to give you ready made powers over others she'll definitely know something is wrong. And the last thing we want her to know is that _you_ guys are a part of this as well."

"Neville's got a point." Ginny said smiling at him.

"But Ginny…" Blaise began but Theo cut him off.

"Look mate, they are right. If none of us sign up she'll know. I don't want our parents to barge in through the front door and force us out of the school. We can't let them know we are damn serious about deflecting the dark side."

"It'll only work to our advantage. And you won't be the only ones from DA. I'll tell few other members to sign up as well. The problem is the chances of _them_ getting into Inquisitory Squad's prefect's team are difficult whereas it's easy for you guys. I just want someone from us to be on the inside so it works to our advantage. It'll only help to keep the DA a secret and hopefully running till the year end. It's going to get even more difficult from now on."

Harry sat on Ron's armrest and looked at Draco and Blaise waiting for their decision. "Okay, we'll do it." Draco said after a minute and Blaise nodded following Draco's words.

"Okay, the sign up is tomorrow before lunch. She'll most probably interview you guys for the prefect's team. Make sure you say and do everything that will reserve your place in it." Harry said getting up and collecting his bag from the floor. He swung it over his shoulder and looked at everyone else.

"I don't think it'll be wise for us to stay here tonight. Go back to your dormitories." Harry said, approaching the door. Everyone stood without a word. They all were worried about the changes that were going to come. "Don't worry…" Harry said as Draco and Blaise walked up to him. "..We'll be around when you go to sign up." He smiled and walked out of the room.

_-xxxxxxxxx-_

Done! Hope you guys like it!

Review! Review!


	21. Dreams

**Author's note: **I know I'm updating after a long time. I've been beta-reading six amazing stories. So that took some time. Hope you like these chapters.

**Legionary Prime**: I say, you do the guesswork right. Haha. That's three times in a row. Anyways, thank you for the review and hope you like this chapter as well.

**Maesde**: Thank you for the review. I'm glad you liked it. Hope you like this one as well.

**Starzinmieyez****:** That's a surprise. Thank you for the review. It means a lot. Enjoy this chapter as well.

**Reishin Amara**: Thank you for the review. It means a lot. I'm glad that you have been enjoying my story. Hope you like and enjoy this chapter.

Harry and the others roamed around the Defence against the Dark Arts classroom when Draco and Blaise went to sign up for the IS. They went to show some support to the boys who were putting on a brave face and signing up for the danger. They had come out with grins on their faces and smirked at the Gryffindors as they made their way out of the DADA corridor shoving and shouting insults at the younger students with their chest puffed out and a silver 'IP' i.e. Inquisitory Prefects inscribed on their school robes. They had made it to the prefects team even without an interview and so far Harry's plan regarding 'IS' was going well.

Harry had selected a total of ten DA members who he wanted to sign up for IS and as he predicted six of them got selected, most of them being Ravenclaws. That evening Harry called up the DA's 'Inquisitory Squad's' meeting.

"As planned you eight have managed to enter the IS and two of you have made it to the prefects." He gave a small smile before continuing further, "This does not mean we are out of danger but it means that you eight are constantly going to be under her eye. Be alert around others and make sure you do not speak anything about DA, not even to fellow DA members. If you want to get across any message contact Ron and he'll tell me. The DA meeting's notice will come to you guys personally as I don't want it to be delivered when you are with Umbridge, Luna and Neville will get it to you. Keep your eyes and ears open around her. If you think something is off or different contact any of the DA Core member immediately. Right now there is no bigger threat to us than Umbridge."

They had all sat a little late into the night researching some spells and study material. The DA's study project was going excellent as per Dean and Seamus had reported and Harry had shifted the responsibility of the study groups to both of them.

-….-

_A hissing sound accompanied by the sound of light footsteps vibrated off the brick walls as he walked ahead. It seemed to be a maze of corridors but it looked like he had been there almost every day and knew his way around blindly. He knew he had never visited that place before. Small beads of sweat formed on his forehead as he took a sharp right turn and a left one next. He was sweating and his shirt stuck to his back as he moved ahead, corridor after corridor making sharp lefts and rights. _

_The silence was deafening and his wand was clutched tightly in his right hand expertly as if he had mastered the art of using a wand ages ago. Even though he was sweating from head to toe his palms were dry – a good sign he thought as he moved ahead. He heard a hiss again and he looked at his right to see his snake gliding silently beside him._

"_We are almost there." he whispered to the snake who hissed back in excitement._

"_The wait is finally over Nagini." He hissed at his snake, his eyes trailed ahead on his path._

_He took a right turn and stopped. There in front of him stood that door. It was black with faint markings on them. He smiled and moved ahead, his footsteps small and slow. At last he reached the door and observed the faint markings on the door. There were scratches in the middle as if some human had been frantically scratching at the door with his fingernails. _

_His fingers almost trembled with excitement as he reached forward to turn the door knob. His long fingers curled around it and he turned it, a small click was heard. As he pushed the door open he felt a small tug near his stomach and before he could react he was pulled away from the door into the darkness. A sharp and a loud cruel NO sounded from his lips as he disappeared into the blackness._

Harry woke up to the sound still vibrating off his ears. He was drenched in sweat as he sat up on his bed. That was not the first time he had dreamt about it. There had been several times when he had the same dream but he hadn't paid much attention to them, but that day it was different. The dream had felt real unlike the other times and he could have sworn it was him walking through that door.

He just sat there the entire night, fearing what he might witness if he slept again. He did not fear the nightmare, he feared that it was he who was walking with Nagini, the long snake like fingers belonged to him and he would have given anything just to not get compared to the evil wizard. Harry felt violated and bruised. He refused to give in to his sleep as he sat there twirling his wand in his hand as he sat there deep in his thoughts.

He knew something was wrong…something was happening and he couldn't understand what. His nightmares were a jumble of puzzles and he didn't know which one would fit where. He had witnessed a series of scenes in the past month but he wasn't sure they were just a dream as the thin line between dreams and reality was overstepped.

His thoughts drifted off to one such scene he had witnessed in the last week.

_Sebastian Roberts kneeled in front of the figure seated on a king-sized throne. His robes brushed against the black titled ground as he waited for his master's orders to get up. His head was bowed, his nose almost touching the ground, the wand in his waist pocket poked him painfully but he didn't dare make a sound._

"_Get up Sebastian." The voice commanded and Sebastian stood up. He looked into the red eyes of his master's and he knew he would pay for his mistake. _

"_My Lord…" he whispered and bowed his head again._

"_You have failed me." Voldemort said in an almost bored voice._

"_Master I'll not fail again." his voice shook as he pleaded silently to his master to spare him death._

"_I do not want your shallow promises. You know the rules Sebastian. You fail you die." Voldemort stood from his throne like chair, his wand twirling lazily in his left hand. He walked over to him and stood towering above him. Sebastian bowed his head even more, his palms wet with sweat._

"_Tell me Sebastian…" Voldemort asked walking past him and stood with his back to him. "…how are your wife and little kid?" _

"_Fine my lord." He whispered. He didn't dare turn around and face him. He knew it was his and his family's end._

"_Good. I'm sure your wife will miss you." Voldemort turned around to face him again and he shivered as the words hit him._

"_My Lord…please. Forgive me." he pleaded, his back still facing Voldemort._

"_I do not forgive and I don't forget Sebastian." Voldemort walked around and stood in front of him again._

"_Please my Lord. The work is almost done. The wards will be down soon and you will be free to act as you wish. It was a mistake to send him near that door. It won't happen again. One more chance master. Please." He whimpered and waited for his master to speak._

"_The wards are almost down?" Voldemort asked._

"_Yes my Lord. Most of it has been figured out. That old fool of a headmaster had added loads of his own as well. But we are almost there." he said his voce still pleading._

"_So you did not fail me entirely." Voldemort said in a small voice lost in his own thoughts._

"_My Lord…" he whispered._

"_Last time Sebastian…" Voldemort said looking straight into his eyes. "…if you fail me again you'll have to face my fury and answer me before you die. I'll make sure it'll be as painful as possible."_

"_Thank you…thank you my Lord. You are the greatest and the most powerful." He fell to his knees again and kissed the hem of Voldemort's robes._

"_That will be enough." Voldemort said as he moved away from Sebastian._

"_Send for Lucius and tell Avery to hurry up with the wards my patience is withering." _

Harry had woken up after that. He wasn't sweating nor was his heart beating at an unnatural pace. He had just gotten up like he normally did. He wasn't able to fall asleep after that. He knew after witnessing that scene, what Voldemort was exactly planning to do. The wards of Hogwarts were almost down and that Voldemort was going to strike soon. It didn't take a genius to understand the danger. He wanted to run to Dumbledore with that piece of information. But he wasn't there and there was no way Harry could let him know and there was nothing Harry could do.

The dreams swirled around his head and everything looked even more puzzled than before. After all these night of dreams he was sure of just two things: first, Voldemort was going to attack Hogwarts soon and next there is something behind that door which Voldemort wants but can't reach. _But what could it be?_ Many possibilities ran through Harry's mind; a weapon, a powerful spell, a powerful ritual for something? But each sounded absurd as many more options became available.

Harry decided to leave the mystery of the door behind for some time. He instead decided to concentrate on what he could do to stop Voldemort from attacking Hogwarts. Sadly, there was nothing much that Harry could do except try and protect Hogwarts himself.

-…-

Blaise Zabini was quite good with strategies and so Harry had teamed him with Ron who was in Harry's term 'brilliant' in that field. Blaise was quite shocked to see the red headed boy having an in-depth knowledge about this subject and he couldn't help but gape openly at him when Ron gave some of his few ideas the first time they had sat together to discuss some strategies.

It was past midnight on Tuesday and the DA Core once again found themselves spending the night in the Room of Requirement. Daphne and Theo had kept to the dungeons for the night since they had some homework due the next day. Ginny was teaching Hermione and Luna her advanced bat bogey hex. Neville had shocked Draco with his knowledge about plants and medicine and they were sitting together talking more about the subject.

Harry was sitting from across Blaise and Ron near the fireplace. The Marauder's Map was open in front of them on a small coffee table. Several parchments lay across their laps as they discussed several strategies to protect Hogwarts in case of an emergency.

"There are total twelve ways of getting out of Hogwarts without detection, except the main doors. That will make it thirteen." Ron said pointing on each of the exit ways with his quill. "And four of them are quite far from each other."

"It'll be difficult to guard all twelve exit ways." Blaise said looking up at Harry. "We don't have that many members to spare."

Harry nodded mutely. "But there's a possibility that they might not know all these twelve entrances. How about we just cover the main ones? I mean which at least a few people know of?"

"That is the only way Harry. If we look at the main ones there are total four of them." Ron said and Blaise scribbled something on his parchment. "First is the passage behind the statue of Gregory the Smarmy, second, the passage behind the mirror on the fourth floor, third, the passage behind the statue of one-eyed witch and the fourth one is here so it's out of option."

"That leaves us with three." Blaise said.

"And which of these three leads to Hogsmeade?" Harry asked his eyes fixed on the yellowed parchment.

"The one on the fourth floor and there's one behind the statue of one-eyed witch which leads to Honeydukes and it's in Hogsmeade." Blaise said reading from his parchment.

"That's the two we have to guard." Harry said straightening up.

"How can you be so sure mate? I mean they can come from anywhere." Ron said leaning forward on his chair.

Harry had told them about the dream he had seen about Sebastian and Voldemort and they all had agreed to take matters more seriously. "I know. That's the only way they can come."

"But Harry…" Ron started but Harry cut him before Ron could argue.

"Look, more than half of them have not been used for years and from what Sirius told me some of them are blocked, even they couldn't get across those. Others don't lead anywhere but to the other part of the castle. And Hogsmeade is the most likely place from where they'll enter. They'll want their entrance to be grand."

"I guess Potter's right." Draco commented from his seat beside Neville.

"Are you sure?" Blaise asked.

"As far as I know my father, yes. They all are not that different from him. They all like to get noticed and yes, grand entrance is something they will go for." Draco said getting up from his seat and slumping beside Ron. Neville sat beside Harry picking up some of the written parchments to read.

"Alright then, we will focus on these." Harry said. "Blaise and Ron, I leave these things to you. Get your strategies ready by tomorrow. Let me know how many DA members you need and how exactly you are going to protect these entrances."

Blaise and Ron nodded their approval as they picked up their parchments and Marauder's Map. Harry then turned to Draco and asked,

"How's the IS going?"

"She's up for something big, and as far as we know the Minister is playing his part well in her plan." Draco said looking sincerely at Harry.

"You mean, the minister…" Neville trailed off.

"Yes, even the minister." Blaise said keeping his parchments in his bag. "As far the gossips in the dungeons are concerned, he has become paranoid. Most of the Ministry workers are parents with their children in this school and they are pressurizing the minister to let Dumbledore take over again."

"But he's adamant…" Draco continued. "He's not giving in to their demands. He wants Umbridge to have control of the school at any cost."

"What exactly he is trying to prove? With the removal of Dumbledore he already proved what a dunderhead he is!" Ron said giving a disapproving look at everyone.

"We don't know what's exactly going on…" Harry said after he heard everyone's opinion on the matter. "We are being kept in the dark. There is no doubt that the Minister had claimed his control over the press. The Daily Prophet is not reporting anything and even Rita Skeeter's mouth is shut which is enough for us to understand that something big is going on which the minister doesn't want anyone to know."

"But we don't know so I suggest, we carry on the way we are doing. We just have to be careful and alert. We don't know, who will backstab us and when."

-xxxxxxxxxx-

Yes, I know I took long to update. I've been beta reading six amazing stories and that took up most of my time. The next update will be on Friday at the most since I've exams from Monday to Wednesday.

Review! Review!


	22. Sirius

**Author's note: **Yes, I know it's been a week since I last updated but I had my exams this week and I had to start revision early. Hope I didn't make you wait for long.

**Reishin Amara: **Thank you for the review. Minister…death eater? Well you are in for a surprise.

**Maesde: **Well you'll have to wait for the war chapter. Spoiler – It's the 24 chapter. Thank you for the review.

**Starzinmieyez****:** They are going to work like magic. Thank you for the review. Hope you like this chapter as well.

**Legionary Prime****:** Rita Skeeter basically woks of the Minister and he has her shut up about Hogwarts or other things happening in Hogwarts. Thank you for the review.

**Ihaveasandbox****:** thank you for the review. Glad that you are enjoying the story.

Christmas vacations went in frenzy. Majority of the student body had returned back home for the festive. The Gryffindor DA Core and Luna had stayed behind to continue with the DA research and to keep an eye on Umbridge and The Slytherin DA Core had stayed back basically because they had nowhere to go. They all had received letters from their parents when their children failed to appear from the Hogwarts Express at London station. None of the Slytherins had bothered to reply back, knowing well the threat their parents were going to give them.

They had all tensed when the letters came and the environment was silent for a few days, no doubt about that but they all had decided to ignore the threat in the letters. They had all knew what they were all signing up for, the danger, the threat was evident since the beginning and now when the time came to face it they had stumbled but gathered their courage in time and faced it with a brave face.

Umbridge had gone over the board with her rules and disciplinary motives and that were one of the reasons DA Core had behind, to know what her upcoming scheme was so that they could prepare the student body for it when they came back without wasting too much time. Umbridge had framed some more rules and regulation during the Christmas break most of them were worthy of being ignored but some crossed the thin line between absurdity and common sense.

She had given some extra powers to her IS which extended to banning Quidditch players without proper investigation, giving out month's long detention, banning people from going out on the grounds etc. She had taken to openly threatening Harry and banned him from all extra-curricular activates which included a life time ban on Quidditch merely out of frustration on lack of information about the DA.

Harry was going under a lot of pressure as well. The entire DA was dependent on him, so was the IS Squad, and the study project. The dreams had been frequent and had taken its toll on his health as well. He had spent sleepless nights and if sleep was ever possible it was for not more than three hours which left him very exhausted the next day. He had tried finding a solution to stop the dreams but it had not worked out and Harry had to spend the night reading or staring fixedly out of a window in the middle of the night.

At the end of first week of January, the student body had returned and classes had commenced for the second term. Everything went back as per schedule except for Harry, he got exhausted even more with no energy remaining in him to sit and research after dinner. Ginny had to drag Harry away from the books to keep him getting even more drained. He had taken to sleeping in the Room of Requirement, merely to be present with the Core while they researched and studied.

January and February passed without much trouble, even Umbridge was silent letting the students free sometimes, and Harry knew it was the usual silence before the storm. He had utilised that time to gain more knowledge and expanded his powers even more.

He was able to control not only fire but wind as well. Hermione had run from Arithmancy class to the other part of castle looking for Harry as she found some more information regarding Harry's powers. The power to control fire and wind was a part of Elemental Magic, a very rare and powerful magic, only five wizards in the history were recorded to have such power. Out of these five, the four had possessed one elemental magic each and they were the Hogwarts founders. Godric Gryffindor had fire element, Salazar Slytherin – the water, Rowena Ravenclaw – wind and Helga Hufflepuff – The earth. The fifth was recorded to have control over all these four elements and he was Merlin himself. Harry was shocked with the information but he knew somehow that he wouldn't be able to control all four elements together.

It was in the middle of March that marked the beginning of the war. The Daily Prophet had reported murders of fifteen people, kidnappings of twenty and a six death eater attacks that the ministry was neither able to control nor stop. Sixteen Aurors were lost in those attacks and in all only three death eaters were killed. Harry knew this was the beginning of the upcoming war.

The morning of March 28, dawned as usual. The DA Core left the Room of Requirement early in the morning to get ready for their usual classes. The breakfast was a quiet affair in the Great Hall, as all the students either preferred reading the disruptive news the Daily Prophet bought them every morning or sit silently and think about how much more disastrous the situation was going to be.

Divination was the class that set things off for the day. Hermione was in the other part of the castle, in her Arithmancy class. Ginny was probably in her Defence class with Umbridge and Luna was in her Ghoul class. Apart from these three the entire DA Core was in the Divination class room listening to Professor Trelawney drawl.

Harry was propped up on his elbow and he was staring fixedly out of the window. It was a warm day and Harry found solace in looking at the beautiful view from the tower. He knew things were getting pretty bad and he was supposed to be ready for whatever might come, but he wasn't. He didn't know why, but he felt, whatever he might do he'll get ready for the war. Part of this was the fact of Dumbledore's absence from his life and so was Sirius, Remus and others who he counted on as his family. He was not angry with Sirius and Remus for not writing to him as Ron had gotten a letter from his mother warning them that letters won't be written again. That one letter was a mixture of letters from Molly, Aurther, Sirius, Remus, Kingsley and Nymphadora. They had all written their worries and best wishes for the entire year. Dumbledore must have warned them not to write, Harry had though.

But the continuous disappearance of his mentor from his life was making Harry doubt himself more than he ever did. He was not ashamed to say that he depended a lot on Dumbledore, but was rather proud that if the world turned its back on him, Dumbledore would still be there for him. But in that moment Harry felt like Dumbledore had never been a part of his life. He caught himself numerous times that year, running in the direction of the headmaster's office, to hear those words of reassurance and that everything will be alright in the end. He had halted half way down the corridor which led to the stone gargoyle only to turn his back on it and feeling more miserable than before.

He remembered the time in his second year when he had come out of the Chamber in one piece. He still remembered that proud twinkling in Dumbledore's blue eyes as he stood there in front of him, gazing into those superb eyes of his mentor. Harry sat up straighter in his chair. _No I would do it. _He thought. _I would prove to Dumbledore that I'm capable of this responsibility. I'll do it for him, I'll never let him down, even if he is not here today I'll make sure I hear him praising me at the year end, like always._

_A dark corridor….pitch black….lumos…a faint light erupted from the tip of the wand…hissing…_Harry blinked a couple of times and looked around. Ron was resting his head on the table top throwing draggers at Professor Trelawney. Draco and Theo were scribbling something on their parchments. Daphne and Blaise were talking in hushed whispers; to his right Dean and Seamus were talking about the new additions to their group study project. He shook his head, in an attempt to clear his mind and he went back to his thoughts.

Yes, he would do it for him. Dumbledore had been with him though everything. Every insult, every harsh word, every glare thrown at him by the public was taken up by Dumbledore too, like an equal share in a plan and never once in these four years did Harry see accuse in the old man's eyes. Instead he saw, 'I'll take the blame with you' inscribed in them and whatever guilt he would have in that moment would disappear into thin air.

_Hissing…an undefined feeling of happiness…that dark corridor…a faint light from the tip of a wand…_Harry tried jerking himself back to the present, but he couldn't. It was like someone was forcing him to watch the scenes that were playing in front of him, and no matter how hard he tried he couldn't shake those images off.

"_Tell me…where is it Sirius?" Lord Voldemort's voice vibrated off the black chamber they were in._

"_I…I won't." Sirius said through clenched teeth as he tried pulling at his wrists which were tied behind his back._

"_Crucio." Voldemort said in an almost bored voice._

_Sirius withered in pain but did not utter a single word. No screams left his mouth but the haunting of those twelve years he had spent in Azkaban was back in his eyes._

"_Now Black tell me where is it? Wither in pain and die, unless you want your godson to come and take it for me."_

"_You'll not touch Harry." Sirius whispered, his voice breaking at Harry's name._

"_Then tell me." Voldemort was now close to Sirius as he forced his red slits to penetrate the brown ones._

"_Ministry…" Sirius whispered so low that he almost mouthed it._

"_Very good…" Voldemort said backing away from Sirius, a cruel grin plastered on his snake like face._

"Mate? Hello? Can you hear me?" Harry?" Harry heard Ron calling him form a faraway distance. He jerked himself again and this time he could see Ron looking at him worriedly, the images flashing in front of him were gone.

"Harry what's wrong? You look pale and terrified." Ron had inched a bit closer to Harry and was whispering frantically to avoid Professor Trelawney from hearing them.

Harry swept his hand across his forehead and was surprised to see it covered in sweat. He hastily rubbed it off with the back of his hand and looked around himself once again. The DA Slytherins were staring at him worriedly and he quickly turned to look back at Ron.

"Ron." Harry said slowly and his voice cracked.

"What happened mate?" Ron asked again.

And the realisation of what he just saw sank in him for real. Panic enveloped him as he switched his gaze between Ron and the Slytherins who were all leaning forward on the tables worriedly.

"He has him." Harry at last managed to speak.

"Who has who?" Ron asked, thoroughly confused by his friend's behaviour.

"Voldemort has Sirius. I just saw." Harry said and his hands clenched tightly in a fist.

Ron gasped and backed away in his chair. The DA Slytherins who were watching Harry closely lip read what he said and a horrifying look crossed their faces.

The distant sound of bell ringing echoed through the castle and the students hurried out of their classroom for lunch. Draco nodded minutely at Ron and left with the Slytherins.

Half an hour later, Harry lay slumped on the sofa in the Room of Requirement. Creases covered his forehead; his eyes were watered but he did not let a single tear down.

"Harry, are you sure about this?" Hermione asked.

"Yes." He said in a whisper. "He has Sirius and I'm going to get him."

"You are sounding ridiculous." Blaise said and rolled his eyes.

"I have to go." Harry said, sitting up straighter in his chair and stared angrily at him.

"Oh! Sure, why not? And how the fuck are you going to do this alone?" Blaise shouted.

"I'll find a way. But I'll." Harry shouted back. "I'm going after Sirius."

"Harry, he is not saying you shouldn't go. All he is saying is you shouldn't go alone." Ginny said, taking his hand in hers.

"Exactly my point, you dunderhead." Blaise said slumping back in his place.

"So what do you want me to do?" Harry said taking his hand away from Ginny. "Risk you all?"

"My point." Theo said slipping his hand across Neville's shoulders.

"No." Harry said and got up. "It's dangerous."

"Oh! C'mon Potter. We have come this far we are not backing off. None of us are. That was the point of all this, wasn't it? Or did you start it to just dump us all and go alone?" Draco roared losing his patience.

"It's going to do no good if we just keep on shouting at each other like this." Luna said before Harry could shout back.

"Malfoy is right Harry, we are not stepping back, not when you need our help and even you know it, you won't be able to do it alone." Neville said looking straight into Harry's eyes.

"This is what DA was for." Daphne said. "We are coming with you."

Harry knew that none of them were going to back off, so he did want he should have done. "Alright but we can't just leave like this. We need a plan for Hogwarts, we can't leave it unguarded."

-xxxxxxxx-

Hope you all liked it.

Next chapter: Ministry.


	23. The Prophecy

**Author's note: **Back with another long chapter guys. Hope you all like it. The story is soon coming to an end, three or four more chapters and then its over. I know…I'm sad too.

**Reishin Amara****:** Haha! I noticed that after I read your review. Good Lord, I laughed too. It's a typo. Haha!

**Anka7995****:** Thank you for the review. I'm glad you are enjoying the story.

**Ihaveasandbox****:** Wait, if you are talking about Dumbledore or Sirius then no they are not dead. Hehe. Thank you for the review.

**Legionary Prime****:** Thank you for the review. If you are talking about writing till Deathly Hallows then I'm not so sure about it. I'll write if I get readers. As far as this story is concerned it's getting over in three or four chapters.

**LifeonEarth**** :** Thank you for the review. I'm glad that you are enjoying the story.

**Maesde****:** Thank you for the review. I hope you like this one as well.

**HouseOfNightMockingjay14****:** Well, here is the next chapter. Thank you for the review. Looking forward for the next ones!

"Alright, everyone change into comfortable clothes. We haven't got much time." Harry said as he crossed the room and picked up the parchment lying on the coffee table. It was past ten and the DA Core was in the Room of Requirement getting ready to leave. They all nodded and the girls went into the adjoining room which had appeared. Ten minutes later they were all gathered in the room again.

"Did anyone see my black shirt?" Theo asked, looking around for his shirt.

"It's near that table." Luna said, walking up to Neville.

"Thanks." he said as he picked up his shirt.

"Okay, Neville?" Harry called, bending down to tie up his shoe laces.

"Yes?" he said and came forward.

"You will wait here till we reach the fourth floor mirror, watch our backs, okay? I'll send my patronus once we reach there so you can come and join us. Tell Anthony to watch the Marauder's Map while we are away. "

"Okay." He said and left the room to look for Anthony.

"Malfoy?" Harry called getting up and looking over at the blond boy.

"Potter?" he asked, moving a step ahead.

"Alert the DA IS. Tell them to be extra alert tonight and to patrol the corridors till we don't come back." Harry said. His voice held an authoritative tone which no one could go against. Draco left the room to alert the possible DA IS members.

"Luna, Hermione?" Harry called and both the girls looked up at him.

"Go and alert the DA house leaders. Tell them to stay in their common rooms. Tell them not to leave their common rooms till we are back. We'll send a word once we are back so that they can go back to their dorms."

Both the girls nodded and left the room as well. Harry then looked at Blaise and it was as if Blaise understood what Harry wanted from him.

"No." he said suddenly and turned his back on him.

"Blaise…" Harry began but Blaise cut him off.

"I want to come." He said angrily.

"No." Harry said and Blaise turned back to face him.

"I said I want to." He said again.

"Blaise look, I know you are an excellent dueller and want to come but Hogwarts needs you. It's time to put the strategies into test. I want to you to stay guard at Hogwarts gates." Harry said his tone a lot softer than before.

"Potter….look…I…" Blaise tried but stopped when he looked at Harry.

"I want you to protect Hogwarts while we are gone Blaise. Get your team and stand guard at the gates. Meet me on the fourth floor." Harry said his voice turning into one of authority again.

"Okay." He said in a whisper and left to gather his team who was going to stand guard at the gates while the DA Core was leaving the school.

Neville returned with Anthony as Blaise left.

"Harry…" Anthony said and walked up to Harry. "Neville said you guys are leaving?" he sounded desperate and worried.

"We are coming back Anthony. There's some work and we have to go. Watch the Marauder's map while we are gone. If there is any danger alert Blaise at the front gate okay?"

"Yes." Anthony said and walked up to the Marauder's map pasted on the wall.

"Potter?" Draco said as he walked in and closed the door behind him.

"Yes?"

"I've altered the IS. We are at the advantage. The non-DA IS are patrolling only at the dungeons tonight, that leaves all the seven floors under the DA control." Draco said smiling at the luck they were having.

"Excellent." Harry said returning Draco's smile.

"Have you alerted them of our temporary absence?"

"Yes." Draco said and looked around the room.

"Where Blaise?" he asked not finding his best friend anywhere.

"He is going to guard the castle while we are gone." Daphne said.

Draco looked at Harry for a moment. "That will be for the best."

Harry gave him a genuine smile and looked at everyone else as Hermione and Luna returned.

"Ready everyone?" Harry asked and they all nodded, their hearts beating faster.

"Alright. Neville wait till you get my patronus." Harry said as he opened the door. Neville nodded and the DA Core filed out of the room.

They all walked as silently as possible, their wand clenched in their hands as tightly as possible. Harry's palms were sweating profusely. He was getting nervous and a little scared for his liking. He didn't know in what condition he was going to find Sirius in. Injured? Scared? Broken? Or the worse…dead? He shivered a bit and Ginny held his hand as the group silently walked on looking left and right for anyone who might spot them. Harry looked down at Ginny and she mouthed, 'Everything will be alright' to him before looking ahead again.

They all reached the fourth floor mirror and he sent his patronus to tell Neville to come and join them. Just then Blaise turned the corridor and looked at them.

"Don't worry; you are surly going to get your share of the fight." Theo said as he walked up to Blaise and hugged him.

"I sure am." He said and smiled at the rest of them.

"Well, you are all set then?" Harry asked.

"Yes, all the entrances are covered. I'll cover this one once you guys are gone. Don't worry I've it under control." Blaise said.

"Great. Anthony is in the Room of Requirement watching over the map. If he sees anything that is troublesome he will approach you. Plus the DA IS are patrolling all seven floors and the house leaders are currently in the common rooms, they are not be in their dorms till we return. If anything happens alert the house leaders and tell them to escort the younger students to the one-eyed witch statue and out of Hogwarts. Students above third can stay and fight if they want, if an attack commences." Harry said as the possibilities of Hogwarts in danger became more pronounced in his head.

"Don't worry. I'll cover it. You guys take care." He looked at everyone and nodded as Neville came and joined the DA Core.

"Leave guys, Umbridge will come to patrol this corridor soon." Blaise said looking around the corridor for any signs of the toad woman.

"Catweazle." Ron said and the mirror opened to show a dark corridor.

"Blaise…take care." Harry said.

"I will." He said before walking away.

"Alright guys, behind me." Harry said as he walked first into the darkened corridor.

"Lumos." Hermione whispered and the corridor lightened a bit to reveal where they were walking.

"It leads to Hogsmeade?" Daphne asked.

"Yes, but where in Hogsmeade? We don't know." Luna said she raised her wand and whispered a low lumos.

"How are we getting to the ministry Harry?" Ron asked from the rear of the group.

"Broomsticks. They are fastest." Harry said as he extended his hand and felt a wooden door. He pushed it open and walked out of the door.

They had arrived a few blocks from Zonko's.

"Accio Firebolt." Harry whispered and his firebolt zoomed towards him from the castle. Everyone followed and soon they were in the air closing in on the ministry.

They arrived in front of a muggle telephone booth in London. Harry remembered the street from the summer vacation when Mr Weasley had taken him for his trail.

"Anyone's got muggle money?" Ron asked, opening the door of the muggle telephone booth.

Everyone looked at each other and Hermione's eyes widened. "Oh shit! We forgot about this."

"Great." Harry said through clenched teeth.

"Wait, I guess I'll have it somewhere." Neville said as he rummaged through his pockets for muggle coins. "Here." He said removing two coins from his back pocket.

"We will have to go in two groups." Ron said as he entered the booth. Harry. Hermione, Daphne and Theo joined him.

Ron inserted the coin in the slot and pressed '62442' the number for magic. A woman's voice sounded in the booth.

_Welcome to the Ministry of Magic. Please state your names and your business here._

Hermione looked uncertainly at everyone. "Umm…Harry Potter, Ronald Weasley, Hermione Granger, Daphne Greengrass and Theodore Nott and we are here to…umm…" she trailed off.

"To save someone…unless the stupid ministry can do it by themselves." Harry hissed angrily.

_Please attach these batches through your stay at the Ministry._

Five badges emerged from the telephone coin slot with their names on them and _Rescue Mission_ printed on it. They stuffed it in their pockets as the telephone booth shook and the pavement rose up past its windows and the booth went underground into the depths of the Ministry of Magic. Harry bent his knees and held his wand as ready as he could as he peered through the glass to see whether anybody was waiting for them in the Atrium, but it seemed to be completely empty. The place was silent, the light was dimmer than daytime and the fireplaces were not emitting the usual green fire flames. The door of the booth burst open and Harry toppled out of it followed by Theo and Neville. Three minutes later, Neville, Luna, Draco and Ginny joined them.

"Come on," Harry said quietly and the nine of them ran down the hallway, Harry in the lead, as they passed the fountain and the desk where the watchwizard normally sat.

The absence of any security in the hallways added to Harry's foreboding as they passed through the golden gates and into the lifts. He pressed the 'nine' button four times in impatience as the grilles closed with a loud bang and the lift began to descend.

The female voice sounded again as the lifts came to a stop. _Department of Mysteries _and the grilled slip open.

They stepped out into the corridor. Harry turned towards the black door of which he had been dreaming about for months.

"Let's go." He whispered and he led the way down the corridor.

"Let's get it over with." Ron said firmly as Harry turned the doorknob with his sweaty hand.

The door opened. "This is it." Harry said his heart started pumping so hard and fast that he was sure everyone was able to hear it.

He glanced around at all of them. They all had their wands out and looked serious and anxious. The door swung opening slowly and banged lightly against the wall.

The place had towering shelves covered in small dusty glass orbs. The room was very cold. Harry walked ahead very slowly and peered down between the two rows of shelves. It was pitch black with no slightest hint of movement.

"Stay close to me and keep your wand at the ready." Harry commanded as he walked ahead of everyone. They crept silently, glancing behind them occasionally as they went down the long alleys of shelves. They passed row eighty – four…eighty-five-eight-six, their eyes and ears alert for any sound or movement.

Harry then stopped in front of aisle ninety seven. He peered down the row again and held his wand arm ahead. "We go right down to the end."

He led them down the row of orbs silently. His heart was thumping madly as the possibility of finding Sirius injured and broken on the floor went through his head. He knew…any moment now, he would find the broken and bruised body of his godfather.

They all reached the end of the row and still there was no sign of Sirius or Voldemort or his Death Eaters. Sweat rolled off his forehead ad he turned his head to look right and left for his godfather.

"He should have been here." Harry hissed.

"Harry." Hermione whispered.

But Harry did not listen.

"Split into three group and walk the end of the rows." Harry said still looking here and there for any signs of his godfather. When no one moved he shouted, "NOW!"

Everyone split into groups and ran towards the other end of the rows looking for Sirius. Harry, Neville and Hermione walked the ninety-seventh row again. He looked into the dark alleys for any movements but to his frustration only blackness stared back at him.

He strode to the middle of the aisle with Neville and Hermione trailing behind him. He stood there gazing at the dusty orbs when Ron's shout called him.

"Harry." Ron's voice echoed into the huge room and before Harry could even understand he was running in the direction of Ron's voice. His thoughts centred only on Sirius…

"Ron." Harry said running up to him.

"Have you seen this?" he asked and Harry looked around to where Ron was pointing to see if any clue had been left by Sirius if he had been here.

The others had joined him by then.

"What?" Harry asked, not finding anything to where Ron was pointing.

"Potter, it's got your name on it." Theo said walking towards Ron's outstretched finger. He stood on his toes and peered at the dusty orb and then at the name written in small print beside it.

"It's faded but there's no doubt that it's your name." Theo said getting down and looking at Harry.

Harry then moved a little closer. "My name?" he asked blankly as he too stood on his toes and read the yellowish faded label. To his surprise, there, written in spidery writing was a date written of some sixteen years previously and below that:

_S.P.T. to A.P.W.B.D_

_ Dark Lord_

_ And (?) Harry Potter_

Harry stretched his fingers and closed it around the dusty orb's surface. He bought the orb down from its shelve and brushed it free of the clogging dust.

"It has to mean something." Draco said moving a bit ahead to look closely at the orb.

"And it concerns even the Dark Lord." Daphne said as she too moved ahead to look closely into the orb.

As the group closed in around Harry, a pearly white figure with hugely magnified eyes rose into the air. Daphne and Ginny yelped in surprise while the others backed away from Harry. Harry's fingers loosened around the orbs with the sudden appearance of a figure but held onto it as the figure began to speak.

'_The one with the power to vanquish the Dark Lord approaches…born to those who have thrice defined him, born as the seventh month dies…and the Dark Lord will mark him as his equal, but he will have power the Dark lord knows not…and either must die at the hand of the other for neither can live while the other survives…the one with the power to vanquish the Dark Lord will be born as the seventh month dies…"_

The silence within the room was absolute. No one spoke anything. Their ragged breathing could be heard clearly across the room.

"What was that?" Theo asked finally breaking the silence of the room

"I think I have heard that voice before somewhere." Ginny said and everyone turned to look at her.

The sound of an orb hitting the stone cold floor brought their attention back to Harry. The orb had slipped from Harry's fingers and crashed to the ground into millions of tiny pieces as Harry gave an ear splitting cry of pain.

-xxxxxxxx-

Review! Review!

Cliffhanger! But I promise the next chapter will be up soon.

Next Chapter: Well… no…I won't say!


	24. Trap

**Author's note: **Early update. Well I decided to update a bit early with this short chapter. It's a little short then what my other chapters have been like. Hope you all like it.

**Moriahhh**: Thank you for the review. I hope you like this chapter as well.

**Ihaveasandbox**: Hehe! He is not dying. I love Sirius too much to kill him in my version of the story. Thank you for the review. Enjoy this chapter.

**Anka7995**: Here's your update. Kind of short but I hope you like it. Thank you for the review.

**Legionary** **Prime**: Thank you for the review. Well, I'm not entirely sure about Half Blood and Deathly Hallows as I'm going to be super busy from the next week. That means this story will end in this week itself. But if I get enough time to write, I surely will. Hope you like this chapter.

**Starzinmieyez**: Sounds like you're right! Thank you for the review.

**Maesde**: Thank you for the review. Well, if you are waiting for the Ministry fight then I say you're in for a surprise. Enjoy the chapter. I hope you like it.

Harry's cry vibrated off the large room. It sent shivers down their spines as they saw Harry crumple and fall to the ground. He was sweating profusely, his screams sounded more muffed and miserable as he panted for breath as well. He curled himself into a ball on the glass covered floor as he withered in pain.

Ron fell to his knees beside Harry and tried to touch him, but he shouted even more, his voice rising with every scream. They stood there shell shocked as they watched Ron trying desperately to control Harry, every reason of sense had left their body. They felt numb as Harry's screams increased. Hermione shivered as she too fell on her knees beside Harry. The others slowly crowded around him.

After a long painful cry Harry's body stopped withering and his screams came to a sudden halt. The silence hung over the room, only Harry's loud panting could be heard. He slowly opened his eyes and looked at Ron and Hermione.

Hermione's face was covered in tears and he noticed Ron was not too far behind. He was about to assure them that he was alright but the sudden force of images in his mind stopped him. Image after image flickered past his eyes like a movie being played at a superfast speed. He finally managed to push the images aside and instead concentrated on his friends faces which were laced with worry.

"He…he is there. Trap." He finally managed to croak. He again closed his eyes and took in deep breaths as he tried desperately to control his breathing.

"Harry…we…we…don't understand. What are you saying?" Hermione asked, looking at everyone and then at Harry.

Harry opened his eyes again and began to sit up but his bleeding hands and the piercing glass on his hands stopped him midway.

"Here, I'll help." Daphne said as she muttered a non-verbal spell. The floor got cleared off the glass as Ginny kneeled besides Harry and helped him up.

"Show." Luna said as she took Harry's hand and cleaned his wounds with a small flick of her wand.

"Potter?" Draco asked as he bent down to extend his hand to Harry to help him get up.

Harry shakily took his hand and got up with Ron's help.

"Thanks." Harry whispered, his breathing still not normal.

"What were you saying Potter? What trap?" Theo asked patting Harry's back.

Harry's forehead creased as he looked at everyone and then at the cold stone floor below. "This was a trap." He said slowly.

"What do you mean it was a trap?" Neville asked as he made his way towards Harry, the horrified look still on his face.

"He sent us here on purpose. He knew I'll do anything for Sirius. He just took advantage of that thing." Harry said finally looking up. He felt miserable and stupid.

"But why did he do this?" Ginny whispered as she held Harry's hand in hers.

"Because he wanted to attack Hogwarts." Harry said after a minute's silence.

Several gasps were heard across the room as the group of teens stared shockingly at Harry.

"You mean…Potter he is…?" Draco began but couldn't finish his sentence.

"…currently at the gates of Hogwarts giving his command for the attack to commence." Harry finished Draco's sentence.

"Merlin…" Daphne said as she backed away until her back touched one of the shelves behind her.

"We need to get back." Harry said looking at everyone. "He just wanted me out of his way when he attacked. We need to get back soon. We need to protect Hogwarts."

"Blaise…"Theo said suddenly and they remembered he was stationed at Hogwarts gates for the guard.

They started running at the same time and in no time they were back into the air on their brooms heading for Hogwarts.

They reached Hogwarts just as a loud crash resonated into the silence of Hogsmeade.

"We need to get back in." Hermione said as she ran towards the door from where they had exited a while ago. Theo pushed open the door and the DA Core ran the length of the corridor, their wand held aloft.

Harry banged the door of the mirror open and they all stood shocked at what they saw. A good portion of the wall in front of them had been blown off. Bricks, dirt and blood laid sprayed across the floor like a duel of fifteen people had just taken place. Harry noticed a figure half hidden among the pile of bricks that had collapsed on the floor. He took a step to help but stood when he saw the dark robes of a Death Eater.

Harry turned to look at everyone else. "Alright, we need a plan."

When he was sure he had everyone's attention, he continued, "First thing find if there are any younger students still trapped in the battles or their common rooms. If there are any escort them out of Hogwarts, next thing is to find the Professors and fight with them. That's all we can do." He stopped as a loud crash sounded not far from them. He heard heavy footsteps coming towards them. "It's time to put our training into effect." He said. "Take care everyone."

They all nodded at him and took one last glace at each other before running off into their respective directions. Ron and Hermione stayed with Harry as he watched Ginny run off with Luna.

"She knows what she's doing." Ron said, as he placed a firm hand over Harry's shoulder.

"I know." He whispered. "Look, if you both…I mean...if you want you can…" he trailed off and instead focused his attention on the corner, gripping his wand tightly; ready to strike off the next person rounding the corner.

"No Harry. We are not going anywhere." Hermione said as she took a step towards him.

"Yeah, mate." Ron said as he tightened his grip over Harry's shoulder. "We have been though a lot and whatever it was that we three went through, we have been in it together. We have always fought with you Harry. We never stood behind you but fought with you, shoulder to shoulder and that's what we are going to do right now."

Harry eyes stung as it watered. He pulled both of them into a firm hug. The three clung to each other as if their life depended on it. "Alright, we need to get going." Hermione said as she pulled apart from the group hug.

"Yeah." Harry said and smiled at both of them.

They ran across the corridor and rounded the corner. The blood stained ground was hidden by many lifeless bodies and Harry recognized many of the Death Eaters. They sprinted down the staircase three at a time and reached the corridor leading to the Great Hall as the wall opposite them burst into million pieces. They turned in time to see four masked Death Eaters running towards them, spells already being fired at the trio.

"Impedimenta." Harry shouted before the spell could hit him. The Death Eater froze in its track before crashing down on the floor. Hermione and Ron had by then taken down the other three.

"GET INSIDE. Take cover. TAKE COVER." McGonagall's voice echoed through the corridor and the three ran off in the direction of the Great Hall.

Just as they were rounding the corner a figure slammed hard across Ron's chest. Hermione was about to blast the figure off when Harry noticed the figure was Blaise Zabini.

"Blaise." Harry said running towards him and helping him up.

"Potter." He said getting up and helping Ron as well.

"Thank God you guys are back." He said looking over his shoulder. "Where are the others?" he asked.

"They are off to help others." Hermione replied.

"Well, most of the younger students are out of Hogwarts, only a few might be remaining." He said as the sound of crashing and screaming grew louder around them.

"What exactly happened?" Harry asked as the huge bellowing sound of the giants vibrated off Hogwarts.

"Anthony noticed some movement coming from the Forbidden Forest but as the map does not cover the forest entirely it was actually quite some time later that we found out that a whole army of Death Eaters is marching towards Hogwarts. He came running to me and I did what I could. I first alerted the entire DA members and ordered them to take their position in the castle as quietly as possible. The selected team of people had started smuggling the younger students out of Hogwarts when I went and alerted the Professors. They were actually quite shocked to see the students prepared for the war. But when I told them it was you who had planned all this…they waved me off muttering something about smart lad and brilliant Potter." He smiled sheepishly before hugging Harry catching him off guard.

Harry hugged him back too. "Well we managed to stop the Death Eaters at the grounds." He said ending their brief hug. "Only some Death Eaters managed to enter Hogwarts. The battle is still concentrated on the grounds and maybe we can keep it restricted only to the grounds. You should head there. Everyone's there now."

Harry nodded. "Where were you heading to?" Ron asked a he moved forward with Harry and Hermione to head off to the grounds.

"To check on the younger students." He shouted over his shoulder a he disappeared into the corner.

"Let's do it." Harry whispered and the trio ran off to the grounds.

They stopped in front of the gates leading to the grounds. Their eyes met with a battle ranging dangerously. Bodies lay scattered on the ground like useless artefacts. Spells zoomed in every direction. Harry's eyes scanned the area in front of him quickly. He noticed the DA members fighting bravely. Harry saw the Professors and the Order fighting with all their might as they attempted to stop the enemy from entering into the grounds.

He saw Sirius fighting a few feet from him alongside Mad eye Moody. It was not long before he spotted Kingsley and Tonks and then Lupin a few feet from them. He saw Mr and Mrs Weasley, Hestia Jones, Bill and Charlie as well as Molly Weasley fighting with and for others, but Harry missed the presence of an old man fighting into the dark corner of the grounds.

The enemy army were fast entering into the grounds and Harry knew it wouldn't be long before the Death Eaters entered Hogwarts as well.

"Potter." Draco's voice sounded from behind them and the trio turned back to look at him. Draco, Blaise, Daphne, Luna, Neville, Theo and Ginny stood at the entrance behind them. Harry nodded slowly the seven of them marched towards the trio. They stood with them and faced the ranging battle in front of them.

Harry knew it was time to launch a full-fledged attack on the enemy if he had to prevent any causalities of his army. It was thus time to put the months long training and knowledge in to action. He slowly lifted his wand and pointed it towards his throat and whispered, "Sonorus."

-xxxxxx-

Yes, I know I'm evil to stop here. But don't worry the next chapter will be up in a day as I want to finish this story in this week.

Hope you all enjoy the chapter.

Next Chapter: DA styled war!

Review! Review!


	25. War

**Author's note: **Well, you guys are in for a very long chapter. Hope you guys enjoy it. Thank you for all the wonderful follows that I've been getting for this story.

**Anka7995**: Well here it is. Not much though. But I guess you'll like it. Thank you for the review.

**Starzinmieyez****:** Yes absolutely. Well this chapter is just the beginning of the war. The main war will be in the next chapter. Thank you for the review. Hope you like it.

**KreachersintheNight****:** Haha yes, It's gonna be exciting. Thank you for the review.

**Maesde**: Haha! Sorry if I kept you waiting for long. Well, here's the chapter. Thank you for the review and I hope you like this chapter.

**LifeonEarth**: So am I! Hehe! I hope you like this chapter and thank you for the review. It means a lot.

**Ihaveasandbox**" Yes, he is alive for my own happiness! Thank you for the review.

He slowly lifted his wand and pointed it towards his throat and whispered "Sonorus."

"Everyone…" Harry's voice echoed into the dark night. Everyone started looking around for the source of the noise. Finally having spotted Harry Potter standing at the entrance they stared at him, waiting to see what was going on, even the few Death Eaters who had managed to enter the grounds stopped to look what Harry was doing. Mad eye took them down before they could realise.

Harry's eyes scanned the area in front of him. The Order members who were far away from him near the entrance were still throwing curses at the enemy with the Ministry Aurors stopping them from entering further into the grounds.

"Harry…" Sirius whispered after seeing his godson standing calmly in the middle of the battle field. Sirius took one step towards him but he was stopped by Remus who pointed to the Slytherins standing behind Harry. Sirius stilled instantly and gawked at him.

"Defence Army…" Harry continued when he had everyone's attention. The Professors and the Order looked confusedly at Harry; the Aurors simply stared at Harry. _Defence Army? What is he talking about? Which army?_ Mummers broke around among the Oder members, Aurors and the Professors.

"Potter what are you…?" McGonagall started but Hermione stopped her.

"Please Professor…" she said with a hint of shame in her voice for stopping a Professor mid-sentence. "Harry knows what he is doing. Leave this to us. It's our fight."

McGonagall pursed her lips into a thin line and looked at Harry. She slowly nodded and went to stand a further away near Professor Sprout.

"Defence Army…" Harry began again. "I want you all to take up your positions in the castle. Stick to your positions till the end. Defence healers be alert. Off to your positions and wait till I command you to attack." He said.

To everyone's surprise the Hogwarts students on the grounds started moving around hurriedly. Some remained in the grounds while the others hurried past Harry and into the castle. Theo and Draco left with the students going inside the castle to lead them. Ron and Blaise came to stand in front of Harry and pointed their wands to their throat and whispered, "Sonorus" just like Harry had done.

"Defence guard…" Ron began. Mr and Mrs Weasley grabbed onto each other after seeing their son leading an army. "Up to the front gate."

Three groups of students moved forward at Ron's command. Blaise moved forward among the students while Ron stayed in his position – in front of Harry.

"Take up your positions." Blaise said as he passed between Professor McGonagall and Professor Sprout who moved to let him pass.

The Order, Professors and the Aurors watched as the three groups of fifteen each moved to stand a few feet in front of the entrances to the grounds which were currently covered by the Aurors and the Order members. Ron then moved forward and stood in front of them with Blaise at his side.

"Keep your wand ready, it's time to get the training into action. Wait for the instructions and be alert." Ron said as he surveyed the small army in front of him. The students nodded as Ron and Blaise mixed up with the group and took their positions.

Harry then along with Hermione, Luna, Daphne, Ginny and Neville moved from their positions in front of the gate and walked around the group standing in front of the gates from where the enemy would enter. The Order members, Professors and the Aurors slowly closed in around them. The enemy, realising something was wrong from the sudden stop of attack had stopped attacking the gates and were retreating back waiting for Voldemort's command to attack again.

Harry then looked at everyone, his army, Order, Professors and the Aurors as well. He then turned his attention back to his army standing in front of him.

"Defence Army..." He started and the students straightened up in their positions. "I want you all to be the best duellers and fighters you all can ever be. I don't know what the outcome of this war is going to be but I'm sure of just one thing, if we do not stop this war on time we are surely going to lose a lot of family members and friends."

Harry's voice was the only thing that could be heard among in the dead silence that hung over the school. Every eye was on Harry as he continued again. "I want you all to fight for all the people you love, for the all things you want and for a free life and a future which we all so righteously deserve. When this army was formed I made sure you all practiced within the strong confines of my protection but tonight I cannot promise you how much I'll be able to protect you all, I maybe not be able to protect even one of you but I'm sure that you can, by helping yourself and the others around you, your friends, family and Professors."

"I'm therefore putting my trust in your strength, power and the willingness to sacrifice for a better tomorrow. This school has been home to us, not only us students but also the Order members, Aurors and the Professors once and today our home needs us to protect it and therefore we shall stay true to our words and die trying to save the only place where we have truly felt at home."

"Believe in yourself and your team members. I have said it always and I'm saying it again, you will not succeed unless you learn to depend on and trust each other. And if you feel like you are failing remember the ones above us will surely protect us." Harry looked up as he said this.

Everyone looked up to see heaven wards thinking Harry was talking about Merlin helping during the time of war but instead their eyes were met with students patrolling the various floors looking down at them, their wands at the ready. They all wore amusing expressions as they saw the people on the grounds looking up at them and they laughed heartily when they heard Harry's last sentence.

Everyone on the ground smiled at Harry's wit. Harry smiled in return. "Well, as you see the people above us will surely protect us, I want you all to give your best tonight. Listen to your leader's command and fight with your team. Tonight is the night we prove to everyone that we can and we will protect our future."

Harry then turned to the rest of the DA Core standing behind him. "I want you all to go and take up your positions as well." He then turned to the remaining Order members, Professors and Aurors. "Stick up with the Defence Army. We know what we are doing and we need your help. We always did."

He then nodded slowly and the DA Core standing behind him left for their positions. He then raised his wand towards the sky and shouted, "For a better future." Everyone imitated him and a chorus of "For a better future." was heard.

Somewhere behind him a curse landed but got obstructed by the protection of the gates. Harry faced the Defence Army again, "Wait for the orders."

He then strolled to the back of the group and mixed in with the third line from behind. The Order members, Aurors and the Professors held their wand at the ready, waiting for the enemy to arrive.

Death Eaters stopped outside the gates leading to the grounds. They were in a batch of around thirty and were firing spells non-stop at the gates trying to break the protection circling Hogwarts into a protective cocoon. Finally after a tense minute, a loud explosion vibrated off the silence indicating the broken protection. The Death Eaters marched in and Harry shouted at the top of his voice,

"COVERING SPELL!"

Ron to his left and Blaise to his right echoed the command throughout the group again and the Defence Army shot out the covering spell. Bright orbs of light shot out from their wand and landed on the front line of the Death Eaters temporarily blinding them with the light. The Death Eaters were caught in a surprise; they had not anticipated a retort. Caught off guard the Death Eaters started firing randomly in thin air. When some curses landed near the proximity of the Defence Army, Harry shouted,

"COMMENCE FIRING!"

Harry shouted and again the command got repeated through the group. Hot orbs of fire shot out of their wands and landed in front of the Death Eaters just when the blinding light had disappeared. But the raining balls of fire caught them with surprise again. The Defence Army standing on the various floors of Hogwarts were firing the balls of fire with excitement. Their orbs of fire landed near the rear of the Death Eater's group causing havoc in their ranks. Most of the Death Eaters were either burnt, disarmed or had simply dis-apparated.

Just when harry thought the enemy were retreating a fresh new batch of Death Eaters apparated in front of them. They were more in numbers than the previous batch but Harry commanded his army to strike again. This time the blinding orbs of light and the fire orbs got shot together at the fast approaching enemy. That caused the Death Eaters to panic as they had never seen anything like that before. The havoc caused in their ranks was quite visible with the screaming and shouting.

Harry moved forward among the group with Ron. Blaise had approached the front line when the second batch of Death Eaters had arrived. When Harry and Ron almost reached the front Blaise stopped them.

"The group is tiring Harry, we are weakening." Blaise shouted over the voice of the spells.

Harry looked around at his group. They were fighting, but yes, they were weakening. They had been firing spells continuously for the last forty five minutes and their defences were weakening.

"Stay here and keep fighting till I return." Harry shouted back and moved to the back of the group. He scanned the ground and spotted McGonagall firing spells of her own invention at a speed which made Harry raise his eyebrow at her.

He ran to her. "Professor." He said breathlessly having ran the distance between the group and his Professor.

"Excellent job Mr Potter." She said giving him a faint hint of a smile.

Harry smiled back in return. "Professor, the group is weakening. We have to move the fight inside the castle. We can't hold on for long."

She looked at him silently for a minute and then at the group of students firing spells at the enemy. "Very well Mr Potter, if you think so."

He nodded curtly at her and ran back to his position, He performed the 'Sonorus' once again and shouted,

"MOVE IN THE CASTLE. COVERING FIRE."

He yelled and instantly bright orbs of light and fire shot at the enemy. Ron and Blaise instructed the group in to the castle before the enemy could fire at their retreating back. Once they were inside, the enemy attacked with full force and the battle began in a full-fledged way.

The Defence Army had still not left their ranks and was fighting in groups helping and saving others as they moved further inside Hogwarts.

Harry spotted Hermione running towards him and Ron. "Hey, you alright?" she asked looking at both the boys up and down.

"Yes." They replied together.

Before Harry could ask her, a group of Death Eaters rained attack on them. Harry had to push Hermione out of the spell's way before giving the Death Eater his heavy dose of Stupefy. He smiled apologetically at her as he helped her up.

"We need to help Tonks." Ron said and Harry turned to look where Ron was looking. Tonks was duelling with two bulky Death Eaters. Just as Harry was about run up the staircase and help Tonks a figure collapsed in front of him.

The Death Eater's mask sliced off his face and his wand arm thudded heavily against the stone floor. Colour drained from Harry's face as he watched Lucius Malfoy straighten up with his other hand. Another figure cladded in huge bellowing black robes neared the fallen Lucius and slipped his mask off his face. Harry instantly recognized him as Theo's father. He clutched Ron with his wand arm and Hermione's hand with the other and pushed them around the corner before the Death Eaters could spot them.

"Harry we gotta help Tonks." Ron shouted above the growing noise of screaming and crashing. He ran forwards but Harry got him around the collar and pulled him back.

"No." he shouted.

"But Harry…" Hermione began but Harry cut her off.

"Not now."

The ducked in time as two curses hit the opposite wall.

"We need to find the Slytherins and get them out of here." Harry shouted over the still growing noise of the battle. "They are here, their parents. I need to get them out of Hogwarts."

"Harry but we can't…" Ron began but Harry cut him midway too.

"No." he said firmly. "I promised them, I would get them out of here safely before their parents could land even a finger on them. We need to find them NOW."

"Okay." Hermione said and Ron nodded.

They ran the length of the corridor and rounded the first corner they saw. They climbed the stairs three at a time disarming two Death Eaters on their way. They landed on the first floor and spotted Daphne duelling.

They hurried up to her; Ron successfully stupefied the Death Eater before grabbing Daphne and running up another stair case. "Stay with us." Harry told Daphne as they saw Draco running down the stairs of the third floor.

"Potter." He said when he saw the four of them running up the stairs.

"We need to find Blaise and Theo." Harry said running past him.

"What's the matter?" he asked hurrying behind them.

"Not now Draco." Hermione said as they landed on the third floor and scanned the area of either Theo or Blaise.

"I saw Blaise on the fifth floor. He was helping a few trapped first years out of Hogwarts and I think he might still be there." Draco said catching up with Harry.

"So we need to find Theo." Harry said running the length of a corridor on the third floor. Just when they were about to turn back and head to another floor to search for Theo a loud crash sounded from their left. They ran with all their speed and reached in time as a wall crashed down on a fallen Theo's leg.

Theo gave a loud cry of pain as he attempted to free his leg. "Theo." Ron and Draco shouted as they ran up to him.

"Wingardium Leviosa." Hermione said breathlessly as she lifted the huge bricks of wall from Theo's leg. She dumped them across an unconscious Death Eater who Theo and managed to knock out before falling.

"Theo are you alright?" Daphne asked crouching down beside him.

"Yeah." He said breathlessly as he tried to sit up.

"Wait, we'll help." Draco said as he pulled Theo's one arm around his shoulder and Ron did the same with his other. They stood up together, lifting Theo in the process.

"Quick, we need to get to the Room of Requirement." Harry said running to the front of the group, his wand held loosely in his left hand.

Thankfully, the battle hadn't progressed to the fourth floor and so Ron and Draco could carry Theo without holding their wands. When they reached the fifth floor Harry stopped again. Draco and Ron put Theo down and he rested his head against the stone banister.

"Wait here, till I return with Blaise. Keep your wand at the ready." Harry said running off into the corridor. He saw Blaise shutting a secret passageway with his wand.

"Blaise." Harry shouted. "Come along. Faster, we haven't got much time."

Blaise nodded before following Harry.

"Theo." He half shouted, when he saw Theo sitting with his head against the cold banister and blood dripping from his left leg.

"I'm not dead. Not so soon anyways. I gotta see your ugly children after all." Theo whispered with his eyes closed.

Blaise nodded a faint smile playing on his lips. "I really don't know mate…" Draco said as he and Ron pulled Theo up again. "….how your kids are going to take 'this' kind of an uncle."

Harry snickered before Theo said a loud 'hey' and was about to complain when Hermione shut him up with look at her wand.

They entered the Room of Requirement and Theo collapsed upon the sofa. Harry hurried over to the fireplace and called out to the Slytherins.

"Guys?" he said in a small voice and they all looked at him.

"What Potter?" Draco asked slumping beside Theo and giving his injured leg a soft pat.

"You guys need to leave." He said quietly.

Silence hung around the room as they gawked at Harry. "We haven't got much time. Hurry up." He said and took the jar containing floo powder down from the mantel piece.

"We are not leaving Harry." Daphne said as she held on to Hermione.

"I'm sorry, but I promised you guys to get you out of here safely, and that's what I'm doing right now." Harry said.

"You can't be serious." Blaise shouted.

"I'm." Harry shouted back.

"Your parents are here." He said silently after a minute. "They are here to get you and it is my duty to protect you. Get out of here fast, before they even see you."

"Potter we can't…" Draco began but this time Hermione cut him off.

"No Draco." She said. "You guys need to go. Harry had done a lot to protect and keep you guys a secret. All his efforts will go in vain if your parents get a hold of you."

"So you want us to turn our backs on the war like a coward?" Theo asked.

"No." Harry said softly. "And this isn't the main war, it's yet to come and I need you guys then. Please."

Blaise nodded still unsure but he approached Harry nonetheless. "Alright we'll go."

"Good." Harry said and extended the jar of floo powder towards him. The other Slytherins slowly got up from their places as well.

They stood in front of the fireplace looking at Harry. Theo stood with Blaise and Draco's help.

"I'll get him mate." Blaise told Draco as he walked with a limping Theo toward the fireplace.

"I'll get to you guys soon." Harry said and extended the floo powder towards him.

"Say 'Maison gardée' it will take you at a safe place." Harry said as Blaise took a handful of powder and limped into the fireplace with Theo.

He nodded once at Harry before shouting, 'Maison gardée' and disappearing in the flames.

Draco turned hurriedly towards Hermione and whispered, "I love you" in her ear before stepping into the fireplace with Daphne and disappearing out of Hogwarts.

The trio stood there for a long time gazing into the now empty fireplace before a loud shrilling sound vibrated off the entire Hogwarts.

-xxxxxxx-

Done. Thank you for reading the chapter.

Next Chapter: Harry v/s Voldemort


	26. Voldemort

**Author's note**: Back with another chapter. Harry v/s Voldemort. Hope you guys like it. Don't forget to review.

**Anka7995**: Thank you for the review. Hope you like this chapter as well.

**Starzinmieyez**: Yes, but sadly the war is over with this chapter. Thank you for the review.

**Maesde**: Voldi is gonna be shocked. Haha! Thank you for the review.

**Legionary** **Prime**: Thank you for the review. Enjoy this chapter as well.

**Cosmyk** **Angel****:** Haha! Thank you for pointing it out. I actually had a good laugh at that. Thank you for the review.

**WinterRainbow**: I'm not so sure about it, as Draco is currently into hiding. But if the plot develops that way, I surely will. Thank you for the review.

**Moriahhh**: Thank you for the review. I hope you like this chapter as well.

A loud shrill echoed throughout Hogwarts, it was so loud that Harry was sure his ear drums had burst. He clutched the armrest with both of his hands and tried to relax but the scream got louder with every passing second and then just as it had begun it stopped and instead a hollow voice, devoid of all emotion ranged through the entire of Hogwarts. Harry had no difficulty naming its master.

_Harry Potter…if you believe you are so brave come and face me. I'm waiting at the front gate for you Harry Potter…._

The voice stopped and Hermione looked tearfully at Harry.

"Harry…" she began but couldn't get the right words out.

"I have to go." He said mustering all his bravery and took a step forward.

"No…hey mate…wait." Ron said before Harry could carry his body forward again. Ron held on to Harry's arm as Hermione quickly crossed the room and stood in front of Harry.

"You don't have to do this. Dumbledore will handle it." Hermione said trying to reason with Harry.

"He's not here Hermione and he won't come." Harry said with a hint of sadness in his voice.

"No." she said loudly. "He is here Harry. I saw him fighting. He is here for you. I knew he wouldn't have left you like this. He'll take care of it."

Harry's head snapped up at Hermione as she said. "He…he is here?" he asked stammering and not quite believing his mentor and headmaster was finally here.

"Yes." She nodded, thinking Harry had finally decided not to go.

"Then I have all the more reason to go and face Voldemort." Harry said rounding around Hermione but he couldn't take a step ahead as Ron tugged hard at his arm.

"Mate…you don't have to." Ron said slowly.

"No I have to Ron. I have to face him, one day or the other. I can't run away from my fate forever. And plus I have to show Dumbledore that I'm responsible and capable of fighting my own battles." Harry said with a hint of desperation in his voice as he tried to reason with his friends.

"But Harry…." Hermione began.

"No Hermione. You always tell us to face our fears bravely and now you are telling me back down?" Hermione cringed a bit at his words and looked at the soles of her shoes.

"We are just worried Harry. We are scared." Hermione said slowly.

"Do you think I'm not?" Harry asked. "I'm Hermione and I need you both right now. I need your strength to go down there and face him. But if you both are going to behave this way how the hell am I going to win? You know every success that I had was not possible without you both and today I still won't succeed in defeating Voldemort without your help, strength and support." Harry said and sighed as he sat on the velvet armrest near the fireplace.

He looked up at both of them; his eyes were glassy as he stared at his two best friends.

"Harry." Hermione nearly cried as she flung her arms around his neck and buried her face in the crook of his neck.

He patted her slowly on the back and then he felt Hermione's grip loosen. He then looked at Ron, silently pleading with his green eyes. Ron's face was slackened; he furrowed his brows and looked around in concern as if he were searching for a place to hide. Harry thought he was going to cry but he didn't. It was an emotion he didn't quite understand in that moment. Scared? Sad? And he finally got it when their eyes met. Ron was worried.

"Come here." Harry said as he got up and flung his arms around Ron's heavy shoulders. Ron immediately gripped Harry in the middle and hugged him as if his life depended on that one hug.

"I'm not going to die, you know." Harry said slowly and Ron hugged him even harder, blocking Harry's breathing pattern.

"Say that one more time and I'll do the honour of chocking you to death." Ron said and Harry laughed.

He patted Ron one last time on his back before loosening his grip. He looked at Hermione and then at Ron. "Stay with me." he whispered.

"Always." They both retorted as Harry moved towards the door.

They reached the last staircase to the ground floor. The battle had silenced down. There were no shouts, no screams, and no spells being fired. Everything was quite, the sound of their feet shuffling echoed loudly around them as they walked and stood on the staircase gazing at the scene below them.

The Defence Army, Order, Aurors and the Professors were crowded near the staircase. He could see the gash on Neville's face clearly from where he stood. Luna had dirt smeared on her face but she looked alright. Harry saw Tonks right arm bleeding and Lupin's right leg was held in a roughly covered bandage. He could clearly see the blood dripping from Sirius's right shoulder and the scratches of Mr Weasley's face. The torn and slashed clothes of Charlie were not missed by Harry either.

Behind all of these people stood the Death Eaters, their masks no longer covering their faces. They were injured too…blood dripping, broken arms and legs. They were scowling at Harry angrily; looked like the DA and the others had put on a brave fight.

Among the enemies it didn't take long for his eyes to reach one snake faced person. His pale skin, chalk-white, skull like face, snake like slits for nostrils, red eyes and cat-like slits for pupils stood out from the rest. Harry noticed his body was skeletally thin and long and his thin hands had unnaturally long fingers. He had no hair and lips.

"You come Harry Potter." His voice was very soft and faint.

"Of course." Harry said as he walked down a step.

"Very brave." Voldemort said as he moved ahead. Everyone immediately cleared out and formed an arc around the stair case with Voldemort in the middle and Harry on the stair case. The others stood around the boundary as if spectators were watching a street fight that would soon commence.

Harry stopped half way down the staircase and his eyes immediately scanned the people for one person who he had missed dearly during the year but before he could find that person Voldemort spoke again.

"We'll have a fair duel Harry Potter and the one who survives, wins." Voldemort said his eyes stalking Harry's every breath.

Harry scanned the faces of people surrounding them desperately as if he couldn't lift his wand without that person's permission. At last Harry's green eyes met with bright blue ones and he craned his neck minutely and the calm face of one Albus Dumbledore sworn into his vision line. Relief filled Harry and he relaxed as if he had won already.

Harry noticed Dumbledore's face was clam but the usual twinkling of his brilliant blue eyes were missing instead they held a fire in them, a kind of fire which when trigged would burn the world in a second, yet his face showed no emotion. Harry stared hard into the blue eyes searching for the recognition in the old man's face and at last he found it when Dumbledore gave him one of his tiniest nods.

Filled with renewed energy; Harry stepped on the last step and onto the cold stone floor.

"I'm ready." He said surprisingly confident and without fear.

"Very well." Voldemort said his voice still clam and pleasant. "Harry Potter…" he said turning around to look at everyone. "…is ready to fight the great Lord Voldemort." The Death Eaters snickered while the others took in a sharp breath and looked worriedly at Harry.

Voldemort turned slowly to face Harry. He raised his wand to a little height and looked at him. Harry's fingers clutched his wand tightly and straightened up in his position.

"Now, we bow." Voldemort said and he bowed a bit before Harry. Harry bowed as well, his eyes never leaving Voldemort.

"Looks like Dumbledore taught you the rules of duelling after all, unlike last time." Voldemort said and his lips twitched. Harry remembered the Triwizard Tournament and the pain on his spine when he was forced to bow before the duel.

Harry's eyes landed on those blue ones again. It was a subconscious act and he felt like it. The old man stared right back and the blue eyes flashed a brief warning and Harry's eyes swept back to reality just as a bright green light almost reached him.

"Expelliarmus." Harry shouted just as the green light reached half way to him. Bright red light emitted from his wand and met the green one half way.

The explosion that sounded after the meeting of two spells made the hair on Harry's neck stand up. He shivered with the force of the spell and his legs went jelly for a moment. It was like the entire of Hogwarts had crashed down into a pile in that moment. The force from Voldemort's wand was increasing and Harry could feel it as he staggered a few steps behind.

He closed his eyes for a moment and concentrated all his energy upon his magical core. The images of his parents flashed behind his closed eyelids for a minute second before he opened them. The spectators gasped as they saw the fire burning in Harry's eyes.

Harry's eyes shone with power and confidence. When Voldemort's red slits met the bright emerald ones they filled with fear, but just as it had flashed it went away and Voldemort screamed, ending the spell.

"Expelliarmus." Harry shouted again but Voldemort deflated it with a flick of his wand.

"Do you really think Harry Potter that you can defeat me?" Voldemort asked, his voice still surprisingly clam.

"Can you?" Harry asked, his breathing slightly heavy

They were moving in a circular motion, one provoking the other.

"So you think you can really defeat me? With the power of knowledge you hold?" Voldemort asked, taking a step towards Harry.

But Harry stood firmly in his position. "Sometimes knowledge is the only thing that can solely destroy a person."

Anger flashed in Voldemort's eyes and the green spell emitted from his wand once again. Harry's red spell met it again half way and the explosion once again vibrated off the ancient castle.

Harry knew he was weakening, he was after all just fifteen and Voldemort was more powerful and stronger than him. But he knew it was a fight till the death and he was not going to give up, especially when he knew the hopes of the wizarding world lay solely on his thin shoulders.

The fire blazed Harry's eyes again and Voldemort staggered a bit was the indication of the strength in Harry's spell. Ginny clutched on to Hermione as Harry forced the spell on Voldemort once again.

Voldemort ended the spell like he did previously but this time before Harry could contemplate Voldemort fired a 'Crucio' directly at his heart.

Harry collapsed on the floor, his body withering in pain. He was subjected to this spell before but it wasn't that powerful. Hot knifes stabbed him on every inch of his body and he felt hot poker was being inflicted on his open wounds. He shouted and screamed against his will and he heard the faint laugh of the Death eaters around him. Voldemort ended the spell and walked over to Harry.

Harry rolled on his back and his eyes landed on Sirius for a second. Sirius was being supported by a very weak looking Mr Weasley.

"Now do you think the same Harry Potter? That you can defeat me?" Voldemort said closing in around Harry.

Harry muffled another scream as Voldemort came even nearer to him. Harry's scar started bleeding with Voldemort's close proximity.

"You, Harry Potter who cannot even exercise control over himself?" he asked, addressing everyone around him. The Death Eaters now laughed openly at Voldemort's remark.

A white light emitted from Voldemort's wand and Harry was thrown against the opposite wall. Blood oozed from his head and scar as he fell to the ground in a huge 'thud.' Several gasps echoed around the corridor as Harry fit the floor unceremoniously. Voldemort laughed at Harry and his Death Eaters joined in him in the laugh.

Harry rolled away from the wall and faced Voldemort. His breaths were coming short as he looked into the merciless red slits.

"Crucio." Voldemort yelled as he saw Harry reaching for his wand.

He felt the pain as strong as hundred daggers sinking into his stomach. He groaned and screamed with anguish, he writhed about on the floor, clutching his body. His eyes were watery with the sheer pain and his breathing came out in sharp, shallow rasps. Sweat dripped down the side of his face and covered his forehead in a thin sheen.

Voldemort laughed even more when he lifted Harry up in the air and threw him across the floor. Harry clutched his body as he rolled on the floor in pain. He tried to stop himself from making any movements when he felt pain in every inch of his body. He stopped rolling and withering and instead tried to calm himself. He opened his eyes and found himself staring fixedly at Sirius.

Voldemort had thrown him across Sirius's feet. Silent tears of agony rolled down Sirius's face as he saw his godson wither about in pain. Harry's heart ached for his godfather. He wanted nothing more than to curl himself into a small ball on his godfather's lap and sleep soundly for the rest of his life. He wanted to become invisible, he wanted to stay away from the prying eyes of people and for the very first time in his life he wanted to just die.

"You see Black?" Voldemort asked as he still circled Harry halfway as if he was an injured animal. "No one gets away from me. I get to them at last and today you all are going to witness the rather painful demise of one Harry Potter." He spat Harry's name with disgust as his red slits pierced the bloodied boy.

Harry did not listen to what Voldemort said but he saw Sirius wince as if he was stabbed behind his back. He knew it was his fault and he was solely responsible for his godfather's condition. Harry scanned the faces of people surrounding Sirius. Mrs Weasley was crying into her husband's shoulder. Ron held Hermione as she wiped her tears with the back of her hand and stared at Harry.

Harry closed his eyes again, remembering the faces of all the people he held so dearly in his life. He tried to remember every small detail he could of them; how the creases deepened on Sirius's face when he was worried, or how Hermione's face would light up when she was happy, how Ron's face would give out every emotion he was facing, how the thin vein on Mrs Weasley's temple would throb when Fred and George would make her angry….everything. He tried to paste those images in the back of his mind as the similar pain filled him again as Voldemort again threw him across the floor.

"Give up Harry Potter?" Voldemort voice ranged through Harry's ears as an alarm bell. His eyes snapped open as image after image of him, Ron and Hermione defeating Voldemort all these years flashed through his mind.

"Not so soon." Harry croaked as he got up. He placed both his hands on the floor as he pushed himself up, his wand still held securely in his right hand.

"I never give up." Harry said staggering when he stood straight upright.

"You will lose Voldemort…darkness never looms for long and after every darkness there always is a dawn." Harry said staring straight into Voldemort's eyes.

Everyone gasped in horror as fire started licking Harry at his feet. The fire gradually increased and in no time enveloped Harry in a cocoon. Voldemort's red slits were wide as they could get and the others gasped as they saw Harry covered in flames.

Harry screamed but it was not in agony or pain, it was a tired scream, like he wanted to get over with it. Harry lifted his arms up sideways and gave a second scream.

A huge orb of fire shot out of Harry's heart and the flames licking Harry from head to toe died down. The orb lighted and fire shot out of that orb in every direction and Harry was caught right in the middle of the blinding light and fire. When the light and fire died down, a huge lion made of fire stood in its place.

Harry crouched into a fighting position with his wand out. The lion imitated Harry's position and gave his deafening roar. Harry watched as a shocked Voldemort's eyes filled with fear for the second time that night. The red slits shifted from the huge animal to Harry in a second.

Harry watched as Voldemort's eyes pierced him again. A faint hint of recognition lasted in his eyes as the familiar sensation warmed them. Water suddenly enveloped Voldemort and in no time transformed in to huge hissing snake.

Everyone gasped and backed away from the fight. The huge snake looked like a magnified form of Nagini; it had the same deathly eyes and structure. The two huge animals eyed each other threateningly before pouncing on each other.

The roar and hissing of the two animals vibrated off the walls as they fought. Harry was weakening as his energy was draining quickly by supplying it to his animal; Voldemort was not far from Harry. The animals were nothing but elemental magic given a definite form from the caster's magical core.

Harry's breaths were coming in short gasps as the lion pounced and fought the huge snake. Al last when Harry knew he was about to collapse Voldemort's snake attempted to coil around his lion's body. The lion gave one last roar as it clawed and tore away the snake's body. Voldemort's cry was weak as the snake burst into millions of pieces before disappearing.

Harry looked at Voldemort; he could hardly keep his eyes open. He was drained of all energy, his body was aching with pain and he wanted to collapse and fall into a deep sleep. But he knew he couldn't not when Voldemort was still here and he was so close to winning. He firmly planted his foot on the stone old floor and forced his eyes at Voldemort.

Voldemort looked nothing but like a very aged man who was very near to his death in sickness. He was heaving for breaths as he stared with unbelievable eyes. His wand arm twitched but no spell emitted from his wand. Harry stared back at him and for a moment he saw defeat in those red eyes before Voldemort disappeared into thin air and Harry collapsed on the ground.

-xxxxxxxx-

Phew! I admit that was difficult to write. But it's done. I hope you guys enjoy it.

Next chapter: I haven't written it yet but it will mostly be a Harry/Dumbledore talk.

Review! Review!


	27. Prophecy

**Author's note: **Well, the main part's done. Now the ending. Hope you all like it.

**Important Note: **Guys if you want a sequel please say so in your reviews so I can start writing. But the thing is I won't be able to update as often since I have college in the morning and my classes are staring from Tuesday and it's like from 1:00pm to 7:30pm. The update won't be as frequent as it was with this story, but if you guys want it I'll write. Please leave comments if you guys are ready to read a sequel.

**Maesde**: Oh! Yes he is. But he will return soon. Thank you for the review.

**Legionary** **Prime**: Thanks you for your review. It means a lot. Hope you enjoy this chapter.

**Starzinmieyez**: Nope, Voldi's not dead, not that easily. He will return…soon. Thank you for the review.

**LifeonEarth**: Haha! Thanks. I love Draco too, yes. :D Thank you for the review.

**Ihaveasandbox**: Well, you are right he's not dead. He will return with a bang! Thank you for the review!

**The** **Founder**: Thank you for the review! I'm glad you enjoyed it.

Harry walked the second floor corridor mused in his own thoughts. The war had ended almost a week ago and the castle was built back to the way it was before; unscratched and strong. The entire castle was repaired leaving no hints of a war behind. Although Voldemort had fled it left no doubt in the minds of the people who the winner of the war was.

The Death Eaters had fled immediately after Voldemort's departure and the Order and the Aurors were able to catch only a handful of them. They were currently being held for a trail at the Ministry. Harry had collapsed after the war and he had woken up three days later with no permanent damage to his system. He remembered waking up for a couple of minutes for those three days when he was unconscious and a warm hand that held onto him was not missed by him either. He smiled as he imagined a worried looking Ginny sitting by his bed for three days waiting for him to wake up. Blush crept up his neck and cheeks and he instantly felt very hot.

No one had suffered lasting damage. Only the DA members had stayed back to fight and given the amount of time Harry had spent in their training, none were dead. That was the whole point of it; they knew how to fight. The Aurors had lost a couple of their members at the hands of some vicious Death Eaters but thankfully the Order members were left with just scratches, nothing which the heaters couldn't heal.

When Harry woke up on the third day he remembered how Sirius had flung himself across Harry much to Madam Pomfrey's dismay, his hug even tighter than Mrs Weasley's had ever been. He smiled to himself as he rounded a corner. Sirius had cried openly, and the tears in Remus's eyes were not missed by him either. Harry had raised his eyebrows when Tonks wrapped her arms around a very tearful Remus but he did a good thing about keeping his mouth shut at that moment.

Everything was slowly returning to normal. Harry was let out of the infirmary this morning and he was on his way to Gryffindor tower to catch up with the rest of them. Students were scheduled to return back by Monday, but still it wasn't officially declared. The staffs were still awaiting the Governors decision regarding the reopening of the school. The Daily Prophet was still going on about the details of the war or to be more specific 'The powers of the famous Harry Potter.' Apparently the wizarding world was awestruck with the power which Harry had displayed during the war and the wizarding population even went a bit further and called him one among the legends.

He shook his head as he walked ahead. He was no legend, he knew that, nor would he ever become one. He just wasn't, Harry would say when people used to ask him why not? People like Albus Dumbledore are considered as legends and he knew he would never be able to compare himself with that old and powerful man.

He rounded another corridor and reached the staircase just when Professor McGonagall's voice stopped him.

"Mr Potter." The strict voice stopped him in his tracks. Harry slowly turned in the direction of the voice and saw the old woman hurrying up to him.

"Yes Professor?" he asked, in his most polite tone he could muster.

"Professor Dumbledore would like to see you now." She said a hint of pride in her voice.

Harry slowly nodded at her. "Sure, I'll…I'll go now."

"Very well." She said as she placed a firm hand on his shoulder before hurrying back the way she had come.

Harry stood still for a moment. That was the moment he was waiting for, yet he didn't know what he was going to say to the old man when he would finally face him. He stood there breathing slowly, trying to arrange his thoughts in a way he could speak them out. But his mind refused to cooperate, they kept jumbling up and in the end he just gave up and walked slowly towards the third floor.

He knocked softly on the wooden door and waited to be called in. His heart was thumping madly in his chest. He was going to face Dumbledore after a year and the thought alone made him nervous.

"Come in." an aged voice sounded from behind the door.

Harry took in a deep breath and turned the doorknob slowly and pushed open the door. He stuck his head in first and called out to his headmaster,

"Professor?" Harry said slowly as his eyes trailed to the old man sitting on his heavy chair and quite immersed in the parchments in front of him. Dumbledore looked up at the sound of Harry's voice.

"Oh! Harry. Come in, come in." he said and flicked his wand near the parchments once and they all flew out of his desk and settled on a faraway table.

Harry opened the door completely and let his body in as well. He walked to the headmaster's desk slowly. His legs were jelly and his heart had still not calmed down but was beating even faster.

"You called me Professor?" he asked politely, not looking into his eyes as he stopped near the headmaster's desk.

"Yes, Harry I did. Sit down." He gestured to one of the chairs in front of him but Harry kept standing.

"No sir, I'll…I'll stand. You usually tell me to sit when there's some bad news and you know I won't take it lightly." Harry blurted out before he could think and mentally slapped himself twice for that.

Dumbledore chuckled and took in a huge breath. "Well, in that case, I cannot force you Harry."

Just then Fawkes who was perched on his table nudged Harry with its head near his chest. Harry looked down at the bird and smiled. "Hello Fawkes." Harry whispered as he involuntarily stroked the bird's head much to its liking.

"Oh! Yes Harry, Fawkes missed you a lot." Dumbledore replied after witnessing their exchange.

Harry smiled up at his headmaster before Fawkes nudged for his attention again. Phoenixes were quite hard to befriend, and they are the ones who approach humans first and Harry was quite proud of this achievement. In the entire school it was only Harry and Dumbledore who the bird allowed to stroke itself.

"Tell me Harry…" Dumbledore began and Harry snapped his head up. "…how are you feeling?"

"Better." He said and moved away from Fawkes.

"Glad to know." Dumbledore said as he got up from his chair. "Did your scar hurt today?"

"A little." Harry replied remembering how his head had hurt after he woke up that morning.

"I see." Dumbledore whispered as if talking to himself and walked over to the balcony. He stood there gazing fixedly over the Quidditch Pitch.

"It will hurt often now, won't it?" Harry asked slowly as he moved a step ahead in the headmaster's direction.

"Yes, it will and now that he has lost to you once again I wouldn't be surprised if it hurt you as well." Dumbledore replied still looking at the Quidditch pitch in front of him.

"So you mean to say, I have to get used to having a headache?" Harry asked, horrified.

"Not necessarily." Dumbledore replied his back still facing Harry.

They stood there for a while, Harry looking at Dumbledore while he had his back on Harry. Finally, when the silence became too loud in Harry's ears his spoke.

"Are you upset with me?" Harry asked when Dumbledore still refused to face him.

Dumbledore turned back and faced Harry at his words. "What makes you think that Harry?" he asked.

"I…I don't know." Harry stammered and averted his gaze away from his headmaster. He eyed the steps and walked over to them and lowered himself on them. "I…I just thought you were."

"No Harry, I'm not." Dumbledore replied as he walked back to Harry and sat on the step above Harry's. Harry turned a fraction so he could face his headmaster clearly.

"On the contrary, I feel very…proud of you." Dumbledore whispered, his blue eyes twinkling once again.

"Why do I feel otherwise then? He escaped." Harry asked his voice cracking.

"Voldemort is undeniably the most powerful wizard Harry. I've never known any wizard with such extensive knowledge about magic…though you put on a brave fight I think it'll take much more than this to defeat him." Dumbledore said as he looked Harry straight in his eyes, the sadness in the emerald ones were not missed by him.

"So I need to get more powerful?" Harry asked.

"No, you need to be prepared that's it because sometimes even the hardest question has the simplest answer. We do not look at it because we believe a hard question will most definitely have a hard answer. You need to learn not to overlook the simplest of things. I think that will be quite enough." Dumbledore replied in his calm yet soothing voice. He flicked his wand and a bowl of lemon drop appeared in front of him. He offered the bowl to Harry.

Harry finally accepted one and looked up at Dumbledore. "I might be the first one to accept this right?"

Dumbledore chuckled as he looked at Harry. "You should have it when I offer it you; it has calming draught in it."

Harry smiled as he remembered his headmaster popping in a lemon drop when the situation was difficult and required oneself to remain calm.

"This is how you remained clam then, in those entire situations where I made you angry?" Harry asked eyeing the lemon drop with suspicious eyes.

"Perhaps." Dumbledore answered before popping one in his mouth.

Harry smiled and finally ate his one as well. After a minutes long silence Harry finally asked what was nagging him since the moment he had woken up from his deep slumber.

"Do you think…I mean do you think I'll be able to, you know…." But before Harry could finish Dumbledore replied,

"Harry I do not think, but I believe you'll be able to defeat him. There is no doubt in it." Dumbledore said gazing over Harry's head.

Harry screwed up his face as he studied his old headmaster. "You really know what the outcome is going to be, don't you?"

Dumbledore smiled. "Sometimes we just have to wait for the right moment Harry."

They fell silent again. Harry had many questions to ask Dumbledore but the one he wanted to ask the most was about the prophecy.

"About the prophecy…" Harry began slowly, not quite sure how to approach the topic.

"Ah! Yes, about that." Dumbledore said as he finally tore his gaze and looked at Harry.

"I think I quite understood the prophecy…but there is something in the end that…that I quite didn't…" Harry trailed off again.

"Neither can live while the other survives." Dumbledore recited perfectly.

"Yes." Harry whispered.

"What about it?" Dumbledore asked as he watched Harry closely. He saw the inner battle in his eyes as he decided how to voice his thoughts ahead.

"You mean…one of us?" Harry fell silent and Dumbledore merely nodded in affirmation.

"Oh! Yeah…alright." Harry said as the reality crashed down on him, confirming his doubts.

"Harry, are you alright?" Dumbledore asked, placing a hand on his stiff shoulder.

"Yes." Harry lied, and suddenly he wanted to cry and throw a tantrum shouting how unfair it was.

"I always knew it." Harry continued in a small voice.

"Knew what Harry?" Dumbledore asked a he saw Harry's eyes shine and twinkle.

"…that I won't reach my eighteenth." Harry said gazing at the stone floor. "I don't know how….but I just kind of always knew. It's like that…I always was subconsciously aware of that fact but I never had the…I never felt the need to realise it." he looked up at Dumbledore and the tears threatened to fall suddenly.

Harry saw Dumbledore's eyes shine with tears as well. "You are the bravest man I have ever known Harry. I'm quite proud of you for this."

Harry simply nodded as he averted his gaze once again. The reality was now in front of him, unspoken yet confirmed. He knew now, he was going to die, that his and Voldemort's end was very near.

He got up with shaky legs and walked over to the door. He held the doorknob and pressed his fingers on it. He was about to turn it when Dumbledore's voice stopped him.

"Harry?" Dumbledore called. Harry turned slowly and saw his headmaster standing on the cold stone steps.

"The gap you bridged between the Slytherins was quite remarkable." Dumbledore said and Harry nodded faintly as he walked out in a daze and closed the door behind him, but the silent tear of pride that slid down his mentor's face was not missed by him.

Harry walked in small steps as he left Dumbledore's office. The talk was not what he had expected it to be like. Harry felt hollow as he rounded a corner and headed for Gryffindor tower. The confession which he made to Dumbledore had somehow struck him in his own gut.

He had realized that long before but never was a there a time when he actually had to say it aloud to himself and then when he actually said it in front of Dumbledore somehow made that nightmare turn into reality.

There was never a time when Harry had felt lonely in his life. Yes, there was a time when he felt like crying on somebody's shoulder after hearing quite foul words from his relatives but never had he felt like he was alone. Maybe it had something to do with how he was brought up. The Durselys had particularly seen to it that he was left alone, in the school, in the park, at the dinner table everywhere and Harry had quite adjusted to it, he grew up to accept it as a part of his life.

He remembered how in the primary school the Durselys had thrown him in classroom with a lot of people he didn't know. He remembered how he was worried about how his shoes were bummy, and he remembered how his clothes were smeared in dirt, and how the kids behind him were whispering and talking about his clothes and his haircut. He didn't even know how to speak up for himself, because he didn't really have a father who would have given him the confidence or the advice, it was like he was thrown out to a waiting and a hungry pack of wolves.

But when he came to Hogwarts, everything had changed. He had expected people to behave the way they did in his old primary school back home. But they didn't, instead they were dying to be friends and acquaintances. He remembered how Ron had stared at him in the Hogwarts express when he had shown his scar to him and a smile spread across his face. The colour had drained from Ron's face then. He remembered the bushy Hermione as she had come to them looking for Neville's toad. They were so young and innocent then, never in a million years had Harry then thought he would have to face something like this. The thought, if it had occurred to him two years ago would have sounded absurd but not now, when he was fifteen, still young and innocent like he was in his first year sounded strong as a concrete floor.

A million thoughts and memories crossed his minds that he suddenly wanted to share with Ron, Hermione, Sirius and Remus. He thought of a million things he would never get to say to them, even if he made up his mind he wouldn't.

But then he made up his mind, to live as much as he can. He knew he needed to find that inner-strength to get that motivation back in him, like he did before he visited Dumbledore. He was not a quitter and he would not give on life so easily. He would fight till the end, for all those people and for himself, for Ron and Hermione, for all those Slytherins who had signed a contract with death itself with the sacrifice they had made, for Sirius and Remus who couldn't particularly live their life after his parent's deaths, for Ginny and his love for her.

-xxxx-

Done! Two more chapters and then it's a wrap for the story!

Next chapter: Harry talks to Hermione. It's quite a mature talk where he lets everything he had held in himself for the last fifteen years out and Hermione gets some of her answers to the questions which she had desperately searched for.


	28. End of another year

**Author's note: **Last chapter of the story. Yes, I know I promised two more but I decided to include the last one in the sequel.

_**I would really like to thank all the readers for reading 'The DA Core' and reviewing it every time. Frankly, I didn't think that the story would have been this successful. Thank you for all the follows, reviews and favourites I got for the story. **_

_**Sequel Notice: **__**I've decided to write a sequel for this story but I'll continue it in DA Core since it's the continuation and I cannot separate it from this story. So the next chapter will be a notice stating the name of the sequel, summary, characters and disclaimer.**_

_**There will **__**NOT**__** be a separate story for the sequel but I'll continue posting it in this story itself. Hope I didn't confuse you guys.**_

**The Founder**: Thank you for your review.

**LizTerry****:** Thank you for your review. And yes, I'm writing a sequel. Yay!

**Ihaveasandbox****:** Absolutely! Thank you for your review.

**Maesde**: Yes, he is and I love him a lot for that. Hehe! Thanks a lot for your review!

: Thank you for your review. It really meant a lot.

**Legionary Prime**: Thank you for the review. Hope you like this chapter as well.

**LifeonEarth**: Thank you for the review. And yes I'm writing a sequel to this story!

**Just another ginge****:** Thank you for the review. I'm glad that you liked that chapter and I hope you like this one as well.

**Cosmyk Angel****:** yes, I know but this is Harry we are talking about. Thank you for the review. Enjoy this chapter as well!

Harry did not go to the Gryffindor common room instead he turned a corner at the last moment and sat on the cold steps near the window of seventh floor corridor. He didn't realize how long he sat there except he knew he was there for a long time because his backside was cold and had gone numb.

He gazed out of the window; the sun was just setting, causing shadowy black figures to roam across the grounds giving the hint of enemy intrusion. He averted his gaze from the window and instead looked at his shadow. His mind was drifting back to the war and he wanted a diversion. He stared fixedly at the black silhouette which sat there unmoving like him.

The appearance of another shadow over his made him look up. Hermione was slowly making her way towards him. He shifted his eyes from her and looked out of the window once again. Hermione didn't say anything but sat down beside him, her shadow mixing up with Harry's.

"Umm…" she finally began. "…the death toll was somewhere around fifteen, mostly Aurors."

Harry looked ahead of him again and fixed his gaze on the stone wall in front of him.

"And…a…umm…everyone's alright as you know. They let Remus out of the St Mungo's yesterday eve.

Harry nodded mutely again.

"Daily Prophet let the dates of the captured Death Eaters' trials out, its…it's next week. Mainly procedural work is going on right now." She said looking at Harry.

Harry nodded again but didn't say anything.

"Dumbledore's taking care of everything at the Ministry since people are not believing in Fudge anymore." Hermione tried again to get any response from Harry but he merely nodded again.

"Harry, are you fine?" she asked, her forehead creasing in worry.

"Yes. I'm good." He said finally, his voice a bit hoarse from not using it for long.

"Can…can I ask you something Harry? Will you answer me?" Hermione asked fidgeting with her skirt.

"If I can, I surely will Hermione." Harry answered.

"Do you believe in evil?" she asked slowly, eyeing him nervously.

Harry stared at the stone wall again. He took his time to think about it. _Did he believe in evil? Did he believe that something as bad as Death Eaters exist in this world? Did he believe that something more worse than Voldemort lies somewhere buried deep into the mysteries of the universe?_

"No." he said at last when Hermione was sure she wasn't going to get any answer from him. But his answer shocked her.

"How can you not Harry? I mean…then what are Death Eaters if they are not evil? There is so much evil in this world." Hermione asked bewildered.

"There is no evil in the world Hermione." Harry said turning to face her. "The world is not merely divided between the light and the evil, no. There is no Death Eater, no evil in this world. Whatever it is, is inside us and what we choose to act upon becomes who we are. You choose Voldemort, you become Death Eater, and you become evil. You choose to be against him, you do not."

Hermione thought about what Harry said and she took her time to digest it. Harry took to staring at the opposite wall again.

"Can I ask you something else?" she asked when she was sure Harry's previous answer was well digested. Harry nodded again.

"Aren't you scared of death?" she said slowly again and Harry's head whipped to face her in a flash. "I mean…when you are standing in front of him, don't you get scared? One mistake and everything you love and know will be left behind forever."

"Yes." Harry replied in a small voice. "I think about it a lot too, more than I should anyways and it creeps the hell out of me. Every night when I go to bed, that's the only thought in my mind. It scares me a lot but when I'm standing in front of him? No, not then. Because I know if I die then it will be a sacrifice, like my parents did for me. It will be for a better cause. I'm not scared of him then."

Hermione nodded mutely and looked ahead of her.

"Where did you send the Slytherins?" she asked. Harry had told nobody where he had sent the Slytherins. He had kept it to himself.

"They are safe. I'll visit them during the holiday and maybe I'll take you and Ron along as well." Harry replied.

"Okay." She said in a small voice. "Do you really think the school won't reopen again?"

"I don't think so. A lot has happened this year. I wouldn't be surprised if the Governor's decided to close this school till Voldemort's death." Harry still hadn't made eye contact with Hermione.

"Will you return then, if it reopens?" she asked, thinking about how weird till be, to not come to Hogwarts again.

"I don't think so Hermione. I have to defeat him till he is weak. And I don't think being in school will offer me that much of an opportunity." Harry knew he had to get over this Voldemort's rein and being in school was going to restrict him from going after him.

"You don't believe in Dumbledore anymore?" Hermione whispered as if afraid if her words actually reached her ears Harry would say yes.

"I do Hermione, I always will. I don't know how many times I have said that to people but Dumbledore is the only man who I trust right now. He is my greatest asset and I believe in him more than I do in myself." Harry finally made eye contact with Hermione and saw his own self reflected in her wide chocolate brown orbs.

"You just met him, didn't you?" Hermione asked still staring into the shiny emerald ones.

Harry simply nodded and tore his gaze away from her.

"He cares for you a lot Harry." She said trying to reassure Harry of whatever was going on in his mind.

Harry nodded again. "I trust the man I know, I don't know what others think about him but I know him, behind that wise self, there is a very emotional state which I think I got to see today and I cannot deny he does not care for me."

Hermione wrapped her arms around his neck and hugged him. Harry welcomed the warm feeling that radiated off Hermione. Her hugs always gave him a feeling of family.

"You know Hermione, when you hug me this way; you make me feel at home, I mean that family feeling." Harry said as he tightened his arms around her.

"I'm your family Harry and Ron too." she whispered.

"Yes I am." Ron's voice sounded from behind them and they turned to see him standing with his arms crossed across his chest.

"Hey Ron." Hermione greeted him.

"Talk about family and forget me?" He wiggled his eyes and Harry smiled at him. "Don't be a girl." He said and patted on the cold stone floor to his right.

Ron sat with a thump and let out an 'uff' when the very cold floor made contact his back side. The coldness caught Ron off guard. "You could have warned me you know?" he said pushing Harry as he straightened his legs in front of him.

"No ways. You didn't warm me last time when Filch caught me and gave me a week's detention." Harry said a mischievous glint in his eyes.

"But that was in second year Harry." Ron said horrified.

"Boys stop it." Hermione said before Harry could retort back.

The trio sat in silence for some time. The time ticked away yet the three did not move. It was like they had found solace in that silence of the night.

"So what's next?" Ron was the first one to speak in half an hour.

"I don't know. But I'm not returning to Hogwarts." Harry said as he shook his legs a bit to get the numbness out of them.

"Alright. How are we going to convince mom about this?" Ron asked looking at Harry now.

"We?" Harry asked shocked that Ron wanted to go with him.

"You mean you were going to go alone? Stop kidding Harry; I'm in no mood for jokes. So thought about it? Mom will be frantic about us not completing our education."

"Do you guys…" he looked at Ron and then at Hermione, "…plan to go with me? I mean I'm not going anywhere but still…"

"Whatever Harry." Hermione said. "We are staying with you, in or outside Hogwarts."

"Yeah, it was a transparent, non-verbal contract that we signed with you when we decided to become friends in the first year." Ron smiled and Harry suddenly had a flash back of a first year Ron smiling at him from across his seat in the Hogwarts Express.

"And I bet Neville and Luna will want to come too." Hermione added.

"That will be their choice then." Harry said.

"But what are we going to do then? If we don't come back here?" Ron asked, creasing his forehead.

"What the Order has been doing for the last twenty six years, fight the Death Eaters and Voldemort but in our own way." Harry said smiling at the idea.

"Restructuring the DA?" Hermione asked falling for one of Harry's plans again.

"I think this time the DA Core will be enough, what say?" Harry wiggled his eyebrows at both of them as he waited for them to answer.

Ron rolled his eyes. "Whatever you plan mate, we are with you no matter how much horrible your plan will be."

"Hey!" Harry said he smacked Ron on his head. Ron laughed as Hermione shook her head.

"When are we starting with…whatever you have in mind?" Hermione asked ignoring Ron's attack on Harry.

"When we get out of here and meet with our Slytherin heroes." Harry said he fell from the steps with a much red Ron still attacking him.

"Alright c'mon, let's get back. Neville and Luna must be waiting for us." Hermione said she stood up and looked at the two boys on the floor with disapproval.

Finally Harry and Ron got p and dusted their clothes. "We need to tell them about our plans." Hermione said snuggling between the two boys to stop them from fighting again.

"Alright." Harry said finally giving Hermione some place. Ron laughed as he draped his arm across Hermione.

"Leave him out." He said and pushed Hermione towards Harry. Harry staggered a bit and pushed Hermione with all his strength. Ron now staggered and bumped on the stone pillar.

"Hey!" he shouted. But before he could push Hermione towards Harry, she had her wand in her hand daring him to push her again. Harry snickered as Ron straightened up.

"I'll see you Potter." Ron said smiling.

"Sure Weasley." Harry said as the trio headed for the Gryffindor tower.

-xxxxxxxxxx-

Done! Short chapter, I know. Hope you guys like it.

From the next chapter onwards it's going to be the sequel to 'The DA Core.'

Next chapter: Notice regarding the sequel.


	29. Sequel Notice

_**SEQUEL: **_**THE DA CORE**

**Summary: **Harry is joined by the DA Core again. Follow as the ten DA Core eliminate the Death Eaters secretly much to the wonder of the Ministry of Magic and the wizarding population. Relationships are tested, danger drags the life of loved ones into its arms and once again the DA Core will do anything to save the people they love and rid the world of Voldemort.

**Characters: **Main pairings:

Harry / Ginny

Draco / Hermione

Neville / Luna

Ron / Lavender


	30. Another Beginning

**Author's note: **Well back with the Sequel! Hope you guys like it.

**Anka7995****:** Thank you for the review. Hope you like this chapter.

**Legionary Prime****:** Finally I decided with it. Thank you for the review. I hope you like the first chapter.

**LifeonEarth****:** Yes, you are right! Thank you for the review.

**Cosmyk Angel****:** No she's not. Haha! Thank you for the review.

**Starzinmieyez****:** Thank you for the review. Well, here's the first chapter of the sequel. Hope you like it.

The falling droplets of rain in the pleasant breeze of the evening mingled with the warmth of the night sky like the diamond pieces falling from heaven. The smell of burning wood from the fireplaces hovered over the fresh scent of cool rain. The taps on the windows and rooftops gave a calming and soothing rhythm that mixed with the falling rain in harmony. Everything was bleak, grey and dreary.

Harry Potter walked briskly under the heavy rain. The hood thrown over his head obstructed his view of the sky but he knew the storm was coming soon. The monotonous sound of the raindrops beating against the top of his hood irritated him. He walked as fast as his legs could allow him under such a dark weather. It was midnight and the rain was falling with its full force.

He took a sharp right turn and entered a gap between two old terraced houses. They looked cold and uninviting. The far end of the alley was blocked off by a large heavy oak gate. He held his breath as he crossed the small gap which smelled of urine and faeces and things scuttled underfoot. The walls ran with slime which covered the now forgotten graffiti brickwork. Buckets of rain slapped the sodden pavement of the grimy, dismal alleyway. The trash littered across the pavement and Harry swore under his breath as a group of vermin crossed his way.

Harry quickly crossed the alley with a hand over his nose and reached the heavy oak gates. "Alohomora." The whispered spell vibrated off the walls of the alley and the old gates creaked open. He quickly crossed them and closed it behind his back without turning around.

He looked at the dark and the empty street where he had arrived. He took a left turn down the lane. The sidewalk was chipped and fractured and seemed to shake whenever the chilling breeze would pass by. Barely any houses bordered the street, but the ones that did were torn apart and abandoned, their shattered windows giving chills down his spine. The two streetlights flickered like a candle threatening to extinguish itself any moment.

He reached the far end of the lane where two silhouettes were visible under the hard rain. The two women had no umbrellas but hoods thrown across their heads like Harry's, their long hair plastered across their faces. As Harry neared the two women, the older amongst the two turned to the younger one, a look of unhappiness on her face.

Harry stopped at a reasonable distance from them, letting the two women say their good byes to each other.

"Mom…" the younger one started but the older one stopped her.

"No. You have to go." She said, trying desperately to sound strict and devoid of all emotion.

"I don't want to go." They younger one still argued.

"No, you'll have to go. This is the only way I can protect you right now. Please go with him. He'll keep you safe." The older woman slowly pushed her daughter towards Harry who stumbled a bit but went and stood next to Harry.

"Take care of her." she said to him.

Harry nodded faintly as he took hold of the girl's hand standing beside him. She looked at her mother one last time before Harry dis-apparated from the dark street, leaving the older woman tear eyed.

They arrived in a field that was ploughed with dark earth. Tall tress surrounded them and the chilly night shivered them. The rain had stopped a few hours ago, the droplets of rain still visible on the leaves. Harry started walking the moment they apparated, the girl trailing behind him.

"Where are we?" she asked, trying to keep up with Harry.

"At a secret place. You'll be safe here." Harry said not looking at the girl behind him.

"But where is it situated?" she asked as she set foot exactly at the same spot where Harry had seconds before.

"You don't have to know that." he replied as he hurried forwards.

Harry walked on the small muddy trail which led them out of the forest. Harry stood for a second on the outskirts of the forest waiting for the girl to catch up with him. She finally stood beside him, her breath slightly heavy. She looked ahead of her and saw a house spread around the area in front of her. It was situated on approximately 4,064 square foot.

"Am I going to live here?" she asked as Harry started towards the house.

He nodded, giving her a non-verbal reply.

"Are you sure it's totally safe?" she asked.

"Yes. It's safe here. You don't have to worry about that." Harry said a he jumped over a small muddy pool of water near the porch of the house and the girl squeaked as Harry helped her.

"Now there are some things which you have to understand before I let you in this house." He said as he walked near the door and slipped his hood off.

"First thing, you'll not leave the house unaccompanied, if you do and if something happens to you, you'll be solely responsible for that. I'll not in any circumstances take responsibility to whatever will happen if you go alone anywhere." Harry said his voice authoritative. The girl nodded silently.

"Second thing, you'll have your wand with you all the times but you'll refrain from using it inside the house. I'll snap it in half if you use magic inside, it's one of the rules and you'll have to obey." She looked horrified but nodded when Harry waited for her to say yes.

"Good, next thing, you'll help in the chores. No one stays here freely you have to contribute in doing something for the house; cleaning, cooking, laundry anything. But you'll do something towards the chores." She nodded weakly again.

"Next there are a couple of people living in this house currently, who you'll be shocked to see. You'll not meet them now but tomorrow at breakfast. It's late and they must be sleeping right now. But I advise you to behave yourself and maintain your calm when you meet them tomorrow. Is everything clear?" he asked and the girl stared at him for a while. Finally she nodded and whispered a small 'yes.'

Harry nodded back at her and turned the doorknob and let her in. They stood in the hallway for a second. It was silent and dark. Harry led her towards the staircase and on to the first floor of the house. He walked the hallways where several closed doors met them. He walked right to the end of the hallway and opened the door silently.

"Here. This will be your room." He said and stepped aside to let the girl pass. She looked around at the room taking in its green and black colours. She finally turned and faced him and gave him a small smile of approval.

"Do not make any noises, people are sleeping next door." Harry said as he turned to walk out of the door.

"Potter?" The girl called and Harry turned back to face her.

"Thank you." She mouthed at him.

"No problem." He said. "Sleep now, it's pretty late. I'll come and take you down for breakfast tomorrow where you can meet the others." Harry said as he placed his hand on the door knob and closed the door and whispered…."Pansy Parkinson" before shaking his head and making his way down the hallway.

-xx-

Done! Short chapter I know. Well, I hope you guys liked it.

Review!


	31. First capture

**Author's note: **Chapter two guys. Hope you like it. Thank you for all the reviews and follows, oh! And favourites too…

**Starzinmieyez****:** Thank you for the review. Hope you like this chapter as well.

**LifeOnEarth:** I'm glad you liked it. Thank you for the review.

Harry waited outside Pansy's door while she got ready. Finally she opened the door and looked at him. "I'm ready." She said, her heart already beating faster.

Harry nodded and walked ahead of her as they made their way across the hallway.

"These people, do I know them?" she asked trying to make small talk with Harry.

"Yes." Harry replied as he walked down the staircase.

"Do these people know I'm here?" she asked as she trailed behind Harry like a lost puppy.

"I think they have a clue." Harry said and stopped outside a white door. Muffled voices reached them as he turned towards Pansy.

"They have been here for quite some time. You'll be shocked to see them but I repeat, maintain you calm after you see them and you'll try and adjust here. I do not entertain fighting and quarrelling here. Is that clear?" he asked as he placed his hand on the doorknob.

She nodded once and Harry opened the door leading to the kitchen. Harry stepped in and waited for Pansy to arrive at the door. The sounds stopped and Pansy's jaw dropped as she saw the people currently eating breakfast.

Her eyes first fixated on Theodore Nott who was balanced on the kitchen counter and then they rested on Blaise Zabini who was drumming his fingers on the dinner table impatiently. Her eyes trailed to a more pronounced scowl on Daphne Greengrass's face and finally they rested on Draco Malfoy who was leaning back against his chair, arms crossed on his chest and a mask of indifference on his face.

She noticed Theo jumping down from the kitchen counter, his eyes brows raised high as he looked at Pansy and back at Harry once again.

"Shocker." He said and Hermione smacked him across his head.

It was then that Pansy noticed the other people in the room. Luna stood cooking omelettes next to where Theo was sitting just moments before, helping her. Hermione and Daphne were setting up dishes for the breakfast. Ron was sitting next to Blaise, his arm draped carelessly across Blaise's chair and Neville sat next to Ron, his nose buried in some book. Ginny crossed the room and stood beside Harry, holding his hand as she smiled up at him.

"Pansy, you know these people." Harry said as he walked inside the room. He sat on the chair next to Neville who smiled up at him.

"Umm…why don't you sit down Pansy?" Hermione said as she opened one of the cabinets. "Have breakfast with us." She said as she handed Daphne some plates and forks.

Pansy took her time to approach the table. She sat down gingerly beside Harry not trusting her house mates anymore. She looked one more time towards Draco and found him winking at Hermione. She went red in her face and looked down at the mahogany table.

"Harry?" she called in a small voice. If Harry hadn't seen her lips moving he wouldn't have been sure Pansy spoke at all.

He looked at her and held her gaze. "Why are they all here?"

Everyone silenced down as they heard Pansy's question.

"Why do you suppose we are here Parkinson?" Blaise said as he leaned forward in his chair to look at her. Pansy leapt back in her chair as she saw the venom in his eyes.

"Didn't think we would be the ones to deflect Voldemort first, did you?" Theo asked as he sat down with a loud thump in his chair beside Draco.

"That will be enough guys." Harry warned. He looked at everyone else and then at Pansy. "They deflected a long time ago, probably at the start of our fifth term. They wanted nothing to do with Voldemort so they came to me and I offered them protection." Harry looked at Pansy as she absorbed the information.

"That is why they didn't visit in the Christmas?" she asked catching on quickly.

Harry simply nodded. "They are now a part of what we call ourselves DA Core. They have gained my trust to be part of it."

"There were rumours about a secret organization, guess it was true then?" Pansy said as she stared down at her omelette.

"And we were at the centre of it." Draco said speaking for the first time but his eyes still held the suspicion in them.

"And we are going to continue with it." Blaise said finally cutting through his now cold omelette.

"You mean…Death Eaters?" she asked in a small voice.

"Yes." Harry replied before Blaise could. "But don't worry; I won't include you in it. You are far from it. So you'll be safe."

They all started eating their breakfast after that, the usual talk surrounding the table. They talked about politics, Hogwarts, wizarding population and developed a few swear words for the Minister. Once they were done Harry called for the attention of the table.

He looked at Pansy. "As I told you won't be a part of this Core, because I am supposed to keep you safe and not throw you in some danger. This house belongs to Mrs Figg's daughter. She stays in another house with her husband some distance from here. When the Slytherins decided to go against Voldemort I promised them, I would keep them safe no matter what. So I approached Mrs Figg and asked her for a location where I could hide them and she offered this house to me."

"I'm mostly going to use this house for The Core planning stuff and other such things, so you'll move in with Mrs Figg's daughter. She recently had a baby, so you can help her around with that. She's quite young and I can assure you, you'll be comfortable around her. She's quite easy to befriend. If you want you can visit us along with her. Alright?"

Pansy nodded slowly as she took in Harry's every word. "Good, Mrs Figg will arrive here in five minutes to take you with her."

As if on cue Mrs Figg arrived on the door looking around hurriedly. "Oh! There you are." She said looking at Pansy. "We better hurry."

Pansy nodded faintly and looked at everyone else. "Whatever you guys do, I'll support you." She said and trailed behind Mrs Figg out of the door.

"Wow! That was so difficult to believe." Theo said his eyes still on the door.

"Enough of it, back to the main topic." Harry said as he shifted in his chair.

They all cleared away their breakfast dishes and took out all the parchments and maps that they had made and studied.

"Harry?" Hermione called from across the table. "This is the list of the main Death Eaters." Hermione passed on the list to Harry.

"Lucius Malfoy, Fenrir Greyback, Bellatrix Lestrange, Rodolphus Lestrange…." He trailed off. "You know we can't capture each and every one of them right?" Harry asked looking up from his parchment.

"We do realise that Harry." Daphne said as he passed on a crumpled piece of paper to Neville. "But we can eliminate the others. I know Lucius, Bellatrix, Rodolphus are kind of difficult but the others on this list like Crabbe and Goyle are easier. And there are many others like them that we can capture."

"Alright then, I think we should get started. It's already been a month since we are out of Hogwarts. The Ministry isn't doing anything to stop the Death Eaters and Voldemort from getting at large. Maybe it's time we should to something." Harry said standing up from the table.

"And we'll do it in secret." Theo said jumping up from his seat.

"So who's our first target?" Hermione asked as she started collecting the parchments again.

"According to Cashis, its Crabbe Sr. He'll arrive at the entrance of Knockturn alley at 1:15 am sharp for some get together." Daphne said.

"Alright. We will leave around 1:00 am." Harry said and everyone nodded.

-….-

**That night. **

**Time: 12:58 am **

**Location: Inside Knockturn alley.**

The crooked forlorn street of Diagon Alley writhed through the cold breeze of the night. The empty and deserted alley showcased deep sinister shadows at every bend; the once familiar street was now more like a stranger to the regular inhabitants' and shop owners. The six young wizards quickly entered the Knockturn alley, their faces hid behind their hoodies.

The six wizards quickly ran the length of the lone corridor and entered the gap between Borgin and Burkes and a shop that sold human bones.

Their breaths were ragged but they didn't dare make any sound. The six wizards stood still in their positions, their wands held expertly in their fingers, waiting for their target to arrive.

At exactly 1:15 am a distant crack reached their ears. They knew their target had apparated in front of the shop that sold giant spiders. They waited for him to reach the bend when they bolted out of their hiding spot.

The sounds of footsteps made the man to turn behind. His eyes widened for a second as they took in the six hooded figures standing in front of him. He took out his wand, to put on a fight but the wizard on the extreme left, flickered his wand lazily and the man's wand slipped from his fingers.

He looked around fearfully, but the Knockturn alley was as deserted as the Diagon alley was. Sweat rolled off the huge man as he tried to look at the faces of the six wizards but their hoods hid their faces expertly.

"Wh…who are you? What do you want?" the huge man bellowed, taking a step back with every word.

None of the six wizards spoke. They watched silently as the man stumbled backwards, his hands flat against the stone wall behind him. The entrance to the Knockturn alley was now visible and the six wizards knew they had to do it soon before they reached the entrance.

The wizard in the centre lifted his wand and casted a non-verbal spell. A jet of red light emitted from his wand and struck the man on his chest. He fell to the ground in a heap and the six wizards slowly walked up to him. They peered down at him and the same wizard casted an 'Impedimenta.' The green light again struck the man at the same place and froze him in his stupefied form.

He then raised his wand skywards and cast a non-verbal spell. The red and blue lights shot from his wand would alert the aurors of a captured Death Eater. The same figure then nodded towards his fellowmen and they together raised their wand and aimed it at the wall behind the stupefied man.

Jets of red, green mixed with white light emitted from their wands and the brick wall slowly got craved into 'The Illuminate' means to lighten up got carved into the brick wall. They lowered their wands and looked at the now carved symbol before apparating sounds filled the still air. They ran back to their hiding place beside Borgin and Burks and watched as the Aurors inspected the now frozen Crabbe Sr.

They immediately identified him and bound him by the ropes before casting the 'Finite' spell. One of the Aurors saw the sign carved in and it was immediately brought into the attention of the head Auror, satisfied with their work the six wizards dis-apparated from their place just as three Aurors came to inspect the alley.

-xxxxxxxxxx-

Done! Hope you guys liked this chapter.

Notes: Here are some clarifying points.

Cashis – Cashis is a man who works secretly for Harry and gives him the inside information.

For the complete map of Diagon and Knockturn alley here's the map link. See the map if you guys are confused about the attack on Crabbe Sr.

Here's 'The Illuminate' symbol they carved into the wall.

/p/Vi1KgUpVuC/


	32. Gift

**Author's note:** Hey guys, I'm back with another chapter. No much but I managed to write it. Hope you guys like it.

**Starzinmieyez****:** Yes, they have left Hogwarts and are off on an adventure. Thank you for the review.

**Dumdoc:** Thank you for the review. I hope you like this chapter as well.

**heavenly light:** Thank you for the review. Yes, they are going to be a part of the story.

**Guest:** Thank you for the review. I'm glad to liked my story so far, enjoy this chapter as well.

**THE ILLUMINATE? **

A new secret organization came into view as Crabbe Sr. a Death Eater was captured yesterday near the entrance of Knockturn Alley. The people who claim themselves as 'The Illuminate' captured him last night and left him for the ministry Aurors to find. Gregory David, the personal assistant to Mr Minister denied any…

**ANOTHER SECRET ORGANIZATION**

"The Illuminate' has come into the open last night with the capture of a Death Eater, Crabbe Sr. Who are these people and where were they all this time? It was reported that Crabbe Sr. was found near…

**DUMBLEDORE BEHIND THE CURTAINS?**

Last night a new secret organization came into view known as 'The Illuminate.' No one has any idea about this new secret group but with the capture of a Death Eater at 1:30 am in the morning it clearly says that it is a light organization similar to The Order of the Phoenix which was started by Albus Dumbledore many years ago. So is Dumbledore behind 'The Illuminate' too? Is he the one to declare a new war on The Dark Lord? Minister of Magic has not given any statement as of yet regarding yesterday's events and on this new organization. It is possible that….

Harry put the Daily Prophet down. Everyone was gathered near the table listening carefully as Harry read the news. It was early in the morning and the ten wizards and witches had bright smiles plastered on their faces. When Harry put the paper down, Hermione wrapped her arms around him.

"That was brilliant." She said as she let him go.

"You should have seen his face 'Mione." Theo said getting up from the table. "He very nearly peed in his pants."

"Did he recognize you guys?" Ginny asked as she took the jar of juice from Theo's hands and poured it in a glass for him. He mouthed a quick thanks to her and sat down on his place with the glass in his hands.

"No. And even if he did, I don't think the Aurors would believe him." Ron said leaning back in his chair.

"But that would complicate things." Daphne said frowning. "He shouldn't have recognized you guys."

"No he didn't" Neville said. "The hoodies had our faces completely covered. There are very less chances that he recognized who we are."

"I think we are safe on this one." Luna said as she took a hold of Neville's hand.

"Yes, but next time we are going with you guys." Ginny said sternly. "We don't want to miss on the fun."

"It's not fun Ginny." Harry said looking at her. "And since this was the first time chances of getting caught were huge, but from next time I think we all can manage together."

The girls nodded and everyone went back to their own conversations.

-…-

Hermione folded her clothes neatly in a pile and kept them in her drawer. It was evening and the day hadn't been that eventful. They had spent the entire day chatting and playing small games to pass some time. There wasn't much to do. With the capture of Crabbe Sr. just yesterday night or to be more precise this morning it wasn't wise for them to make their move immediately the next day. It would complicate things and put them in unwanted danger. They had decided to act two days later and Hermione was happy because she was sure she would be going with them. She needed some action in her life. Hermione smiled as she realised how filmy that sounded.

She turned back and was shocked to see Draco standing there in her doorway leaning against the door frame. She quickly composed herself and looked up at him.

"Draco…um…do you need something?" she asked as she tried to get busy around her room.

"Yes." He said and walked inside. Hermione straightened up immediately and saw as Draco walked in he pushed the door close behind him.

"Draco…." Hermione said backing away a bit.

"Hmm…?" he said as he stalked Hermione to the opposite wall. He smiled devilishly at her as her back touched the wall.

"Now you have nowhere to go." He said as he covered the distance between them. He rested his hands against the wall near her head and gazed into her chocolate brown eyes.

"Wha…what do want?" Hermione stammered as she looked back into his eyes.

"You know perfectly well what I want." Draco whispered as he leaned into her.

"Draco…" she whispered as she pressed her palms into his chest, pushing him back a little.

"Hermione…" he said as he felt the force of her push.

"No." she said looking straight into his eyes. He gazed back at her and then dropped his hands and backed away.

"You still haven't answered me." he said as he kept his distance from her.

"Regarding what?" Hermione asked as she stood up straighter but stood frozen in her place when she saw the anger flash in his eyes.

He walked briskly towards her and slammed her against the wall once again, his fingers gripping his arms tightly.

"Do you love me?" he asked, tightening his grip even more.

"Draco…." Hermione trailed off and an image of Draco whispering "I love you' to her before he escaped from the war flashed in her mind.

"Do you or not?" he asked through clenched teeth.

She looked at him again and she remembered all those times when she had felt protected around him, she didn't know then that she loved him because it was just the beginning of a new friendship then but now when she stood looking into his eyes, she knew perfectly well what she felt for him.

She nodded at him slowly and his grip loosed. "But…" Hermione began and Draco looked up at her again.

"I want to wait." She said. "I want to wait till everything is over. It's dangerous right now."

Draco didn't say anything. He looked at her, his longing for her pushing him to crunch her wish but he stayed his ground. "Are you sure?" he finally asked and she nodded.

"If this is what you want." He said and let his arms drop again. He took a step back from her. "But if you even as much as dare look at somebody I'll kill you."

She smiled at him. "Don't worry about that. It will always be you."

"Draco, Hermione come downstairs now." Daphne's voice ranged in their room and they heard footsteps running outside Hermione's room.

"Something's wrong." Hermione whispered. Draco immediately took his wand out and ran to the door, Hermione not far behind him.

They ran across the hallway and down the staircase. They dashed into the dining room and saw everyone gathered around the table.

"Harry, what's wrong?" Hermione asked as she walked up to him.

"Someone sent us a parcel." Harry said as he lifted a box covered with brown paper and placed it on the table.

"But how is that possible? No one knows where we are." Draco said as he sat in a chair beside Blaise.

"Harry are you sure Mrs Figg didn't tell anyone?" Neville asked as he studied the box with small eyes.

"I'm positive she didn't tell anyone." Harry replied.

"There's no name on it." Neville replied as he pushed the box away from him.

"Do you think we should open it?" Theo asked eying the box suspiciously.

"Obviously, someone sent it with a reason." Luna replied.

"That's the problem Luna; we don't know who that 'somebody' is." Blaise said raising his eyebrows at her.

"Harry open it." Ginny said firmly, "I don't think there is anything dangerous in it."

"Yeah, I mean living with Fred and George for so many years has given us an extraordinary power to suspect dangerous boxes like these." Ron said smiling at Ginny.

"Okay." Harry said as he took the box.

"Careful." Ginny whispered as Harry opened the box with his hands.

He ripped the brown paper and threw it behind him. It was a small plain black box with no marking on it. Harry studied the exterior of the box carefully; when he found nothing that could give him an idea of the sender he opened the box.

The lid opened easily and everyone gazed into the brown box. Small test tube like containers lined the box completely. Harry frowned as he lifted one from the box. Something silvery, like a mixture of water and gas was floating in it and Harry knew what they were.

"Memories." He whispered to himself. "Hermione, get the pensieve." Harry whispered urgently and Hermione rushed out of the room.

A few seconds later she came back rushing in with a shallow stone basin in her hands. Ancient runes were carved along the edges giving it a very delicate look. She placed the pensieve near Harry and looked at him worriedly.

"Are you sure?"

Harry merely nodded. He looked up at everyone and motioned them to come closer. Harry then poured the memory into the pensieve and watched as it mixed with the water like substance.

He nodded once and lowered himself into the pensieve, the others following him closely.

-xxxxxxxxxx-

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	33. Horcruxes

**Author's note: **Yes, I know I'm updating after a long time. But I've my exams going on and I don't find that much time to write a chapter as I used to do. Anyways here's an update. Hope you guys like it.!

Cosmyk Angel: thank you for the reviews. Well those memories? You'll come to know about them in this chapter.

Legionary Prime: Ah ha! Yes! Thank you for the review.

DLalway: Thank you for the review. You'll come to know about these memories in this chapter. And Hermione will tell Draco real soon….

Harry felt his feet leaving the cold stone ground of the house as the darkness whirled around himself. He landed in an office that much he knew. The others landed beside him and looked as confused as he did. Suddenly a voice sounded from behind them.

"Oh dear Lord, it's time already? It flew by really fast." They all whirled around immediately and saw a man standing near a table surrounded by many students wearing Hogwarts robes.

The man had gingery blond moustache and his hair was thick and straw coloured. He had pudgy hands, fat thumbs and a vast forehead. He wore a maroon velvet jacket over lilac silk pyjamas.

"We are in Hogwarts." Hermione whispered as the students slowly filed out of the room thanking that man. They came to know him as someone called, 'Professor Slughorn.'

One particular student stayed behind. He was tall and handsome with pale skin, jet black hair and dark eyes.

The man called Slughorn shut the door and turned around. He gave a small yelp when he saw the boy standing near of the tables and inspecting an animal kept in an air tight container.

"Ah! Tom, you are still here?" Slughorn asked as he walked to a table and filled his glass with Firewhiskey.

"Sir, I wanted to ask you something."

"Oh! Sure Tom. Anything you would like to know. I'll be glad to help a student like you."

"Sir, hmm….I wondered if you knew anything about…Horcruxes?"

Slughorn's absent features stood out sharply as the word registered with his mind. He looked at Tom with narrowed eyes and backed away from him a bit.

"Why do you ask?" he asked, his voice a bit rough.

"I was doing some extra reading yesterday and came across this term. I didn't fully understand it." said Tom.

"Well…ummm…" Slughorn hesitated and turned his back on Tom. "Umm…its Dark stuff Tom, very Dark. It's almost equal to unspeakable."

"But you have some idea about them, don't you?" Tom asked taking a step towards Slughorn.

"Well…ummm….just to give you an overview Tom, mind you I'm not going to go into its depth. If headmaster comes to know about this…"

"He won't…" Tom said cutting Slughorn's sentence. Harry didn't miss how eager he sounded. "He won't come to know. I won't breathe a word of our discussion to anyone."

"Well then, a Horcrux is the word used for an object in which a person has concealed a part of their soul." By now Slughorn's hands were shaking, the Firewhiskey threatening to spill.

"Hmm, sir how do you do it?" Tom asked, excitement dancing like flames in his eyes.

"You split your soul. Really dreadful magic."

"How do you do that? Split you soul, I mean?" he looked even more excited as he asked.

"It's evil…very evil. You kill, murder you see. Killing rips the soul, don't ask me how. There's a spell for it and I don't know it." Slughorn turned around to face Tom, the Firewhiskey spilled a bit on his jacket as he turned but Slughorn had his eyes on Tom.

"I know sir, I understand. How does this Horcrux protect us? Can you do it only once?" Tom managed to put on a bored expression on his face but the longing that hid behind his questions were clearly visible through the fake mask.

"You hide a part of your soul in an object so that even if your body is attacked you soul or rather a part of it remains undamaged. That means you remain alive." Slughorn's face crumbled with disgust as he said.

"You didn't answer me. Is one enough? Or can we do it more than once? How about seven?"

"Merlin's beard, Tom." Slughorn's voice rose. "What have you been thinking? Seven? How could you even think of it? Kiiling one person is dreadful enough but seven? And more ripping your soul…" Slughorn stopped, he was breathing heavily and he looked troubled. He narrowed his eyes at Tom again, "It's just out of curiosity? Right Tom?"

"Of course sir." Tom replied.

They felt their feet being tugged and before they could realise all ten of them were standing in front of the pensieve again, in their dining room.

No one said anything but settled in various positions. Harry sat down in his chair, Ron slumping in beside him. Draco stood leaning against the kitchen counter, Blaise next to him. Theo and Daphne sat down opposite Harry and Ron. Ginny stood behind Harry's chair, her hand on his shoulder. Neville and Luna stood by the pensieve, their fingers intertwined. Hermione stood near the box of memories staring at it fixedly.

Everyone waited for Harry to speak. Finally Harry looked up at everyone.

"I think we all know who Tom is. It's Voldemort. Whereas Slughorn is concerned; I have no clue who he is." Harry's forehead was creased as he spoke.

"Horcruxes. Does anyone have any idea what they are?" Theo asked. "I have heard about them for the first time."

"No." Harry replied. "Dumbledore didn't say anything about them ever nor have I heard about them."

Everyone then turned to look at Hermione. She looked at everyone else and sighed. "No. I haven't read about it. I have no clue. Whatever Slughorn said is all I know."

"Alright." Ginny said, squeezing Harry's shoulder a bit. "All we know is, this Horcrux is a kind of Dark magic and is used to gain immortality. I mean, even if you die, your soul remains intact. So this means…."

"Voldemort has created Horcrux and I think I know who send these memories." Harry continued.

"Dumbledore." Ron whispered and Harry nodded.

"So Dumbledore is hinting us towards Voldemort's Horcruxes?" Draco asked his eyebrows rising as he spoke.

"Why would he send these memories otherwise?" Harry replied. "I think he wants us to go after Voldemort's horcruxes, without which he would never die. That is how he came back to his full form during Tri Wizard Tournament. He had created Horcruxes."

"And if we assume right…" Neville said. "…from what we heard right now, he created seven of them."

"Exactly." Daphne replied. "But still we don't know what they are. I mean in spite of our families being dark we haven't heard about it. It can only mean that it is very Dark Magic. Maybe darkest of all."

"So we have another goal now." Blaise said getting up from the kitchen counter. "Hunt the Death Eaters along with Horcruxes."

Harry nodded. "But before we begin with them, I think we should read this up. We have no clue and no lead. So it will be better if we have some basic knowledge about these."

"How are we going to do that?" Ron asked.

"Well I think we'll have to visit the public library then."

-….-

Hermione deposited six thick books on the table. Everyone had gathered around the table peering at the books.

"So thick?" Theo asked as he looked from Hermione to the books and back at her.

"Yes, these are all I could find." Hermione said and she looked at Harry.

"What are we waiting for then? C'mon get started." Harry said as he picked up the second book from the stack.

Hermione, Draco, Harry, Luna, Neville and Blaise were the ones who started reading the books. They were quite old and the pages looked like they hadn't been touched for years. Hermione actually had to beg the librarian to let her purchase those books. After several minutes of begging and an offer any sane man couldn't refuse Hermione had walked out of the library with the books shrunken in her pocket.

She was scared initially to go and purchase books on such Dark Arts but when she realised that she was the only one among the ten of them who could get away with it, she agreed.

Hermione was now sitting in an overstuffed chair near the fireplace, her nose buried in the thick book that rested on her lap. She turned the pages rapidly her eyes scanning the content in the books at high speed.

"I can't really find anything interesting in this book." Neville said as he closed the golden coloured book and put it aside on the table.

"What is in it?" Harry asked without looking up from his book.

"It's about Herpo – The Foul who created the first Horcrux." Neville said as he lifted his legs up and rested them against the small table in front of him.

"Anything else about him that would help us?" Draco asked a he lifted his glass of orange juice.

"Nothing. Just that he is one of the earliest known Greek Dark Wizards. He was the first wizard to hatch a Basilisk. He was a Parselmouth and he is said to have designed this Horcrux ritual himself." Neville said he rested his head back against the couch.

"At least we know the origins now." Luna said flipping the pages of her book in a bored way.

Half an hour later they were still immersed in their books. Ron and Theo were in the middle of an intense chess game with Daphne and Ginny, cheering and supporting them. Blaise suddenly got up from his chair, the book falling from his lap. Everyone looked up shocked as Blaise ran out of the room knocking off a few chairs in the process.

Everyone ran behind him as he shut the door of the washroom behind him. They pounded like mad on the door shouting out his name.

"Alohomora." Harry shouted and the door burst open. Harry rushed inside and saw Blaise leaning over the white basin, his face green and the tap water running. He patted Blaise's back as he got sick once again and Theo and Draco followed in.

"Mate are you alright?" Theo asked as he handed Blaise a towel.

Blaise nodded weakly.

"Let's get him downstairs." Ginny said and moved out of the small washroom.

They all seated in their regular chairs as Hermione poured a glass of warm water and handed it over to Blaise to drink. They all waited patiently till he drank.

"What happened?" Harry was the first one to speak among the lot.

"I can't…I can't read the book anymore." Blaise whispered in a small voice.

"What?" Draco asked, shocked.

"The book's horrible Potter. It's not written for humans. You know what you have to do to create a Horcrux?" Blaise gulped audibly. "I…can't. No. I won't. It's terrible and to know that someone had actually done everything written in this book is making me even more sick. Please Potter."

"Okay, alright." Harry said looking unsurely at Hermione. She nodded lightly at him.

"I think we should all get to bed. It's late anyways and we all need some rest. A lot has happened today." Hermione said as she picked up Blaise's glass of water and put in the sink.

"Yeah you are right." Ginny said and everyone got up.

Draco and Ron helped Blaise into bed as they went in their respective rooms to rest.

-xxxxxxxxx-

Done!

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